Koala_D

On ‎3‎/‎17‎/‎2019 at 10:22 AM, GINNY L said:

Not sure if they have them on that ship but I have seen them on previous ships, but you can definitely buy them in port.

There are some great shops in Skagway  and Juneau... lots of styles and prices to choose from !

I’m sailing on the Escape 6 May and have a (family) balconycabin. Got an offer from NCL to bid onan upgrade. All of the Haven cabins minimumbid prices are way too high for me ($800 - $1,500 pp). However, one category is a Mini-Suite for a minimumbid of $30.

 

 

But there doesn’t appear to be too much difference between aBalcony and Mini-Suite, so is it even worth it? The square footages are essentially the same (yes, a couple higherlevels of the Mini-Suites are significantly larger, but most of the levels arethe same square footage as a Balcony). Ditto with the Mini-Suite’s balcony size.

 

Am I missing something here? Thank you.

-------- We have had each.... I definitely like the mini suite and have gotten it twice recently by bidding.

The balcony seems much bigger, and the room feels "roomier" to us. The bathrooms we had were better in the mini suite, also. Our mini suites have all been on the smaller NCL ships and the Epic, but they felt bigger and more open.

Hubby and I decided to book the NCL Epic Western Mediterranean on AUG 4th, 2019 out out Barcelona, we will be traveling with our three kiddos ages12,10,and 9. We were able to book the Haven two bedroom suit, and plan on getting off every port to explore with our kiddos. First time not cruising with DCL, sadly due to sport/school we can can only travel during spring break or August. I am now researching and reading all the reviews, and I'm a little sacred, the reviews for the Epic are not that great, I'm really worried. Please tell me it will be ok.

 

Thank you !

People either love this ship- or hate it. I will never go on it again, and I have taken 21 cruises with NCL. I liked all the other ships. The bathroom was an issue (you will not have problems... we had a mini suite). Book all your shows online as soon as it is possible. Book your dining times online asap. We had food that was very good.. and food that was very bad. Our worst meal was in Cagney's, but another night there it was our best meal. Food quality is not consistent. My daughter liked breakfast in the Garden Café buffet !! She discovered a quiet area in the Italian restaurant was available after we got our food... and it had a gorgeous view from the front of the ship there ( well-kept secret!). The hotel director was amazing, but our room steward did almost nothing... our room was so dirty. The air conditioner didn't work for 6 days... then they finally called someone who knew what to do. He flipped a switch OUTSIDE our cabin door and we had no further problems. With all your ports I think you will like the cruise in spite of the problems we had (transatlantic trip). If you don't like it, please try ANY of NCL's other ships. The Pearl is my favorite. My daughter and I loved Barcelona, and spent 5 days there before the cruise. If you don't live there be sure to take time to see it. There is a lot there that the kids will also love. For anyone else planning a Barcelona trip--- there are some great apartments at a very reasonable price a block from La Sagrada Familia (a must-see)... and the subway and buses are very close and convenient. The apartment was roomy--- had a view--2 bedrooms-- rooftop terrace....and the desk clerks were very helpful. Name: Sensation Apartments Sagrada Familia. We also had a room near Las Ramblas that was so small that my daughter rented a second room for herself after we saw it.

Who from the CruiseNext department did you talk to? The CruiseNext manager?

Yes... I am sure she was the manager. The other girl was new and asked her about dinner with the officers. The rest of the conversation was with the manager.

Platinum Plus ---- told NO DINNER WITH OFFICERS offered because of "safety reasons". WHAT ????? It was a typical Alaska cruise.... no hurricanes. When I pursued this I was told "It's not really special anyway... you only have dinner in the complimentary dining room... so it's nothing special." My mouth dropped open hearing that? This person was NOT new and should have thought about what she was saying. She told me my big Platinum Plus perk was "nothing special" !!! WoW !!! I still pursued the matter and said on a similar Alaskan cruise 5 months ago we had dinner with the captain. THEN she said "The captain just got back from vacation and he doesn't want to do a dinner with the guests." OK........ SO------ she shouldn't tell ME that! I did Behind the Scenes a few months ago on this ship... didn't need laundry..... did get the 60 minutes of Internet (it was so slow this trip that I read my emails 2 times and used up all 60 minutes! --It was very fast on my last trip.) We had no special treatment when boarding the ship... no special line or greeting at check-in. Nothing special getting off the ships. No special seating for shows (but the theater wasn't filled anyway. Basically all I got for my Platinum Plus category was a slow internet and an extra bottle of water.... not much more than Platinum received. Not happy with that. Anyone else had a similar experience with the dinner perk yet ?????

When planning a cruise in Alaska, is there any month(s) that is better than another or is it "hit or miss?"

I have had excellent weather for 4 cruises in late May. I also like the second week of September.

BIDDING--- I did not get an e-mail, but the bidding option appeared on the MyNCL page on the website. I had an Oceanview- Deck 8 - porthole. I was able to bid on a Balcony... and also on a Mini Suite. There was a sliding bar to choose the amount of my bid. 3 days before sailing I was notified I won my bid... for an AFT_FACING MINI SUITE !! I'm not sure, but think it was around $300 pp. Anyone can bid, but I see some travel agents do not want to participate..... and their customers do not get to bid then.

Anyone sailing on the PEARL... Daniel made our cruise very enjoyable. He is the Maitre'd at Le Bistro, and the food and service was so good there. He makes sure all is running smoothly. In fact... it was so good that we cancelled all our remaining Cagney's reservations and ate at Le Bistro 4 more times! The food was always perfect. We've never eaten in a specialty restaurant with friends on NCL where ALL THE MEALS were cooked and served perfectly. Daniel is married to a beautiful lady in South Africa. Ask to see a photo of his son... nicknamed "Hercules" (so cute)!

Omg please tell me he's not going on vacation in the next 3 weeks?? We are sailing in 2 weeks and were soooo hoping to get him as a captain!! He's so great I would choose a sailing based on where he is!! Thank you so much :)

 

 

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I love Capt. Lars, too !!! He's absolutely amazing.... luv luv him! Wish he was going to be on the Epic for our transatlantic, but that would probably be a boring trip for him. I like BOTH Capt Lars, but they are so different.

We enjoyed the amazing salad bar, then our waitress brought our plates for the meats.

 

There was a group of 8-10 officers and that is where the gauchos served. There were two to three at the officers table and none in the rest of the restaurant.

 

Our waitress brought the sides, which we ate, then brought us more fried bananas and still no meat.

 

After about 15 minutes one gaucho circulated around the rest of the restaurant. During this time the others were all at the officers table. Once the officers finished then we were served.

 

 

Obviously we did not starve, but it was aggravating to not be served while only the officers were. Our waitress was great and kept coming around to see if she could do anything, we wanted to say something to a manager, but never saw one. However, it was another great meal and Moderno is a unique experience to have on a cruise ship.

__________________ BE SURE to say something if this happens in ANY of the restaurants. There should be a Maitre'D. If not, fill out a comment card in the lobby for the Hotel Director and you WILL get a reply. They need to know if things like this happen. That would not make me happy... especially in a restaurant with the cover charge. If anything is wrong and there is no officer nearby, always fill out the comment card and the Hotel Director will contact that department so it doesn't happen to someone else. He is in charge of everything, and you will always get a personal reply and apology.:)

Nice weather going to Miami the entire trip... 70's and sunny. Doing it again in October.

The northern routes can be cold and windy though... my friend sailed transatlantic to New York and had really bad weather up there.

Hope someone can offer some current up-to-date info for contacting a supervisor at NCL. Writing to Kevin SHeehan's office or Guest Relations hasn't helped. I have a recorded phone message left by NCL that I would like a supervisor to hear without waiting on hold for 30 minutes or longer.

:confused::confused:Does anyone have a direct email address for

Klaus, Sean, or Jocel ??? I know those three people would listen and do what

they could to help with the problems I am having. Guest relations is making promises by phone, and not following up. BUT... the last time they left a recorded message I would like to play back for them!

A seller can ask anything they want for their FCR ($5 or $500). As the owner of the property that is their right. An intelligent buyer would never pay more than $150 for an FCR because that's what was paid for it. I doubt I would even pay the $150 because the seller is obviously trying to get rid of it and not lose the entire $150 they have invested in it. The onus is on the seller to get rid of the property they no longer want, not on the buyer to make sure the seller doesn't lose his/her shirt on a poorly conceived plan.

There are other advantages to buying a FCC from a private party. It also covers the entire deposit and the balance is not due until 90 days or less? before sailing. For anyone booking an expensive 2-week cruise like the Panama Canal a year in advance... the FCC certificate is handy.

Judy,

Did you ever sail with Captain Lars Bengtsson either on The Pearl or The Spirit? This Lars is from Sweden with all three sons employed by Norwegian. His youngest Robin and Robin's wife are both on the Star in Shore Excursions.

 

Mandy

We loved BOTH the Captain Lars, although they are very different. Both have a great sense of humor, and are very interesting to talk with.