runnersmate

Just went on Pearl in Haven. The suite section is not worth sitting in. The shows were really not crowded. We would show up about ten minutes before the shows started and never had a problem getting seats near the front. Moderno was great for breakfast.

Hi D-We are on the Pearl in the haven for the Panama Canal cruise. Could you tell me who the concierge was when you were on last week? Thank you very much, Sharon

You will need to bring ALL the "baby stuff" with you...the ship sells nothing for babies or pediatric meds......diapers, wipes, medications...you need to pack it. Most cabins only have showers, so a blow up tub is handy for bathing a child!

 

You are a family, and families travel together. I can't imagine anyone saying to leave your child behind. A cruise is only a vacation, and vacation as a family will be what you do for the next 2 decades! Go! Enjoy!

 

I will tell you that the dining room is MUCH easier than the buffet, when you have little ones....be served! Too hard to fix plates, find tables, gather utensils while dealing with a child. Go to the dining room, be seated and served! So nice! The staff loves kids, as they miss their own.

We buy one of those plastic tubs with the locking flip lids and pack the baby essentials in it and it doubles as a tub. After we leave it on the ship.You can order a crib and high chair prior to your arrival.

Just take a taxi. Quick, easy and not expensive.

$27 flat rate to port.

Ok guess will get there by 9. If I get there at 9am do I just wait in line and wait for them to open? Or are people there checking you in and once you're checked in what do you do? Just sit and wait?

They usually don't start boarding until close to noon and will give you a boarding pass - group one or two. They are boarding on deck seven mid ship so you have to take the elevators down to deck six and go to guest services. The line will be to the right and folks will be there to assist. FWIW on these western itineraries there is hardly anyone up there on port days. When I was there a few weeks ago there were only four people up there during port time. It got busier as folks returned.

The Haven has a private sun deck, hot tubs, bar, pool, restaurant but it also allows children in all these areas.

 

So do you need it as much as a non haven cruiser? No. you already have a private area but some haven guests want to insure they have a space away from kids and Vibe offers that.

We were in the Haven last week and it was worse than a day care center. VIBE passes were a must!

Blue claw, head to guest services. Everyone else, my last GA and BA Vibe passes were $79....dud they reside the price or is that just the Escape. Also, I don't remember paying gratuity. Is that new?

Escape VIBE was $99 for me both on the transatlantic and first inaugural cruise out of Miami.

Wow, Stephen, I hadn't thought if it that way. I'm exhausted just reading all they had to do recently! Hopefully, they'll get back into their normal routine!

 

Harriet

Stephen/Harriet-As someone who did both the Transatlantic and first 7 day cruise I can honestly say Stephen is "spot on" about the turn overs for the first week but not once did I ever come in contact with any crew member not working hard to please the guests. In fact, I saw many officers, cleaning tables, policing areas and talking to the guests for comments and feedback. Both my cabin stewards were excellent, the speciality dining areas meeting my expectations (I ate 7 meals on the TA and 5 on the 7 day cruise), bar staff were always accommodating and recognized me, etc. I have been on many NCL ships and while I expected a few hiccups, I was very happy with both cruises and what I paid for them. I always remind myself I am on vacation and on a cruise so how bad can it really be!

Besides Carl Perkins, who were the other members of the Million Dollar Quartet?

Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash were the other three.

Tenors of Rock were on the Transatlantic for two shows and did two shows on this cruise.

For the Record was excellent if you like the 80s music and relate to Ferris Buellers Day Off, St Elmo's Fire and Sicteen Candles - yes that "Brat Pack" as folks were thinking it was Sinatra and crew-$35 for the dinner and show.

Anyone know when the "pick one of 4" deal is ending. I asked if I could have a price without this and the answer was no, price would be the same whether I picked something or not. Honestly I would prefer to have better price without these "deals" however I guess it is not to be. NCL seems to have so many "deals" going so sort of hard to figure out. :)

I booked on line the day before yesterday for a cruise and picked the CHOB for one and not the other and got an additional $50 credit. Maybe it's just hit and miss depending on the date booked.

Thanks. No big deal if there isn't, just would be a plus like having a shower/changing room in the spa area on some ships. Are you on the TA ? Sounds wonderful ! Have a great voyage. Gerry

Restrooms and showers in the Haven area by Saunas.

Two guys from Orlando, FL.

 

Look forward to meeting everyone......

 

Norm and Dave

Norm and Dave, thanks for the crocs key chain. It is great.

Sharon

Ryan Ravi is the Haven Concierge - Ryan and his crew are the BEST

SMerritt- Ryan is only on for three more weeks and is moving to the Breakaway. Karen is still there and they are both awesome as we have had them previously. They take care of the "little things"!

Sailed Epic last month. Took three bottles of wine from my home stash. Enjoyed them very much. Did not bother me to pay $45.00.

 

The only nickel-diming I encountered was at the slot machines. Only wish it had only been a few nickels and dimes

I agree with you! We took our favorite four bottles and paid the corkage fee-I know it's NCL way of making money (and kudos to Carnival for allowing one bottle per person) .

Hi Barb! Yes it has!! I hear Adrian Bica is currently concierge - any idea how long he's on board?

 

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Is he on the Epic again? We sail next week and I was wondering if he was concerige as we had Anoop in Sept.

We just finished the 8 day eastern on the Epic. Got off the ship today. This was our 2nd time on the Epic, the first was in Jan. 2011 when she was new. What a difference 3 years makes as far as wear and tear! Still a beautiful ship and still has a big smoke smell from the casino that permiates decks 5, 6 & 7 at the rear of the ship. Not as bad as our first cruise as they have installed many smoke eaters but the smell is still there. They really need to just ban all smoking on the ship except in certain on deck areas like some of the other cruise ships have done. We stayed in a two bedroom Haven suite again and it was very nice. We did have problems with the toilets flushing in both bathrooms. Had to hold the button in for several seconds before the actual flush would happen. The one in the master bedroom quit working completely the morning of our return to Miami! That was lucky for us. The room exhibited a lot of wear and tear. Its not that it wasn't clean, it was. Just a lot of scratches on the woodwork and worn carpet. The teak railings on the balcony were in need of a lot of attention. Most of the glossy varnish was worn off and pealing. The rest of the ship was very nice as always and it was a fun cruise. The food was excellent. The pay dining rooms were A+ with outstanding food. The free restaurants including the Garden Buffet were very good. The "included" food quality and variety was much better then we have experienced on RCCL and Disney. The staff was amazing. Our concierge staff and butler get an A+ but I wish the butler would have stopped bringing the delicious chocolates every night! I gained 6lbs on an 8 day cruise! Over all it was a very fun and relaxing cruise. The haven makes all the difference when you don't have to compete for pool space or lounge chair space. And the Epic Club is always a very pleasant retreat away from the masses. The food there is exceptional. Looking forward to the Getaway in March. Like most of the other lines, NCL charges you extra for many things. What really irritates me is with the obey you pay for a Haven suite you do NOT get any free beverages. No bottled water, no sodas, no free cocktail parties in the concierge lounge. Even on RCCL when you go concierge you get a free cocktail party every night for a few hours. Same with Disney. This is the main reason I will probably not become a NCL frequent cruiser. After the Getaway trip I don't see us doing NCL ever again. The Haven with all its benefits really cuts some serious corners.

Thanks for the update-we are in the Haven for a 3rd time next week. Can you tell me whom the conceirge was and if you were on 16 or 17?

We are looking forward to being in the Caribbean as in the past we have always done the European itinerary and it is always very busy.

Thanks and welcome back!

Sharon

Another question...what is the dress for the Haven Restaurant. I've heard that breakfast/lunch are pretty casual (even shorts?), but haven't read/heard anything about dinner. What is required? And what is typically seen?

It varies, we have been in there in shorts (after a long day on the Europe routes) and dressed for dinner. Make friends (tip well) with the maitre d' - we have even asked for special items such as escargot (ahead of time) and been well take care of. We leave again next week for our third 2bdrm stint on the Epic and are ready!

I have stayed in penthouse suites on the Star and the Gem. They were two completely different experiences. On the Star, I was told that being in a penthouse suite did not entitle me to saved seating in the theater or early admission to the chocolate buffett. On the Gem, I didn' t expect to get either but we did. I felt like we were treated like royality on the Gem. I spoke to other suite passengers about it and was told that it depends on the concierge. I had Patrick on the Star and Kadek on the Gem. I just don't want you to get your hopes up and have them fall short of expectations like I did. I almost did not book another suite because of my disappointing experiences and too high expectations on the Star with both my concierge and my butler. I am glad I tried again because my experience on the Gem was amazing. I just hope my third try is as good! Enjoy your trip, but go in with realistic expectations. Just because people get it on oneship or with one concierge does not mean it is standard. If it is not listed as a suite amenity, it is possible, but not guaranteed.

I have found sometimes you need to ask again, just like this post we have found different issues depending on the ship, conceirge.

We are sailing in three weeks and have the haven. Anyone know if Anoop is still up in the conceirge? We had him up there in Sept.

We used the bus on Friday and it was running very regularly. The cruise staff isn't allowed to mention it but since embarkation/disembarkation is at Marseille there are folks to ask. It is right outside the gate of the ship.

Happy sailing.

Most of the cruise ship's spas are contracted out by Steiner. The Disney Wonder has a nice co-ed turkish bath spa (they charge $15 a day but it is well worth it) and a great workout facility. The gym was always empty, had the tv's built into all the treadmills, elipticals and stairmasters. You could watch a variety of movies or the usual gym stations.

Hope this helps!

Sharon