Sparkygirl

We purchase coolibar swim clothes for our fair skin red headed preschooler and then use eco friendly badger brand sunscreen on her face and exposed skin.

 

 

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We are traveling with my 4.5 year old who is too young for pretty much every cruise line offered shore excursion in Jamaica. I found that the Beaches resort in Ocho Rios has guest passes for our visit day for $100 for the adults and $50 for kids under 17 which seems to be a good deal. The challenge is how do we get from the port to the resort and back? Does anyone know approximate transportation costs?

I asked about the late activities, because they are not allowed to have sleeping children in splash academy they keep the energy up to not be calling parents to pick up their children because they fell asleep during a story time. Story time is often first on a given theme in the 3-5 age group.

 

 

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Sorry to hear about your experience. DS went on RCCL when he was 3 and Disney when he was 4, Princess and HAL when he was 6 and 7. We haven't been on Celebrity. Disney had the least amount of supervision of any cruise line we've been on. Even though we were on DCL for an 11 day cruise, I doubt that any of the staff even knew his name. It was a free for all. We had a similar experience at Disney's Aulani resort. So, I would not assume that because Disney has a family friendly reputation, that their child care is even as good as other cruise lines or resorts.

 

 

I couldn't agree more! DCL told me they can not accommodate my daughter allergy needs because their kids program is a free for all without sufficient supervision to protect her.

 

 

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Does anyone have the recent up charge costs for the specialty dinning? The NCL site is now simply stating between $20 and $40. I'm trying to figure out if the three or four meal specialty dinning plan is a cost savings for us or not.

 

Cagney's -

La Cucina -

Le Bistro -

Moderno -

Teppanyaki -

Has anyone heard "unofficially" (through personal contacts) of crew members who plan to change ships because of NCL's recent decision to shuffle ships? For many of us, the senior crew is as/more important than the ship itself.

 

 

 

I was booked on the NCL Spirit for Jan 2017 and the substitute offered is the NCL Epic - the one ship in NCL's fleet that I vowed to never sail. However, if a favorite HD, for example, was hoping to move to the Epic, I might accept NCL's offer.

 

 

 

Thanks in advance for any information (and/or good rumors!) -

 

 

 

Sandy

 

 

I suspect shuffling of crew etc with the new deployment may be problematic, the ships are now sailing from or to the home countries of many crew members.

 

 

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The entire party will need to check-in with the desk agent, each person will get their picture taken for their sea card. Does the entire party need to stand in line together...not necessarily. My daughter is removed by the cruise line the night before sailing from our reservation and then the morning of check-in is added back onto the reservation. This process takes time that I plan to arrive at the pier no later than 9:30am. When we sailed with my stepkids mom and her husband one stepchild was booked in our cabin. They weren't at the pier when DH and I arrived we checked everyone else in and then when she checked in they did her cabin and then went back and completed stepson's checkin.

 

 

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My 3 year old fell and hit her head on the small palm tree slide on breakaway. She was unable to move all four extremities and lost consciousness. I'm an ER nurse and her dad an EMT. We were highly impressed with the care received onboard. The doctor was amazing, he is a family physician in Wisconsin when not on the cruise ships. Very family centered care, her dad and I with the doctor and a ships officer made the decision on if she was stable enough to remain onboard to port or if she would be evacuated by the coast guard. The doctor from the ship remained in contact the entire week we were in the hospital. They only had a portable x Ray capability and the decision was jointly made to keep her immobilized on the backboard and collar until a better quality imaging could be done. We learned at the hospital in cocoa beach she had a sub rural hematoma and were then transferred to a children's hospital in orlando. We never saw a bill from the cruise ship.

 

 

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What ship are you sailing? My daughter is 4.5 and has been on three cruises since turning 3 and being old enough for Splash Academy. My husband is a stay at home dad so she had no real experience with Day Care. She also has a life threatening latex allergy. She loved splash academy. We were given a phone as well as told the locations and times to sneak a peek at her without being seen. Splash academy is not a jail or prison, she can ask to leave and they call you or you can go pick her up. My daughter didn't want to miss the parades! And we got to see her having fun. They also worked very hard at keeping her safe.

 

 

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My four year old made pictures and gave flower to our cruise staff friends on Valentine's Day. We also keep in touch with some staff post cruise and have become friends. We did bring a small gift (my husband turns wooden bottle stoppers) when we met up at the ship on turn around day for a visit but these were for our friends and we knew that they would use them at home (not on the ship since they can't drink as it isn't allowed).

 

 

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Also, splash academy does not allow food inside and does not use food in their programming. During port days parents can elect and pay for their child to be taken to eat by splash academy staff. Splash Academy staff request that due to my daughter's latex allergy and cross reactive foods that a) she not participate in the meal time option. B) a responsible family member remain onboard the entire time she is in splash academy. Does your celiac son also have a contact wheat allergy? If so splash academy is really good with wiping everything down especially if they know there is a need to increase the disinfecting process. When you get onboard also go to splash academy and register your sons. The counselor will go over allergies and specific needs as they apply to splash academy at that time.

 

 

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Please be proactive, email access desk and ask for the access form that you complete and send back. That form is what officially makes a note of your son's dietary needs. The food and beverage manager ensures there are sufficient quantities of gluten free options based on that form for each sailing. Once onboard also be proactive, explain it is a new diagnosis and you'd like to talk to the chef and restaurant manager. My 4 year old daughter has a life threatening latex allergy and for her needs we have a meeting after lunch with key staff from each department that will be involved in keeping her safe (food and beverage manager, hotel director, restaurant manager, housekeeping and medical) We have the phone number of the restaurant manager and call each morning with where we will be eating dinner. Food preparation gloves are an issue for her so even though the food and beverage manager assured me that no latex gloves are onboard for food prep use there is always the box of gloves waiting on our table when we are seated. I confirm the box is safe and send it back to the kitchen with our order.

 

 

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Please contact the access desk regarding your experience with the Maitre D, that is absolutely not how food allergies should be handled particularly when food allergy meals are made in their own Kitchen.

 

 

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Do you think the U.S. Is going to fly to Europe to cite them? The world is a much bigger place than just the USA you know.

 

 

 

And yes there is a small enclosed pool on the jade for them.

 

 

Since the Vessel Sanitation Program is holding a meeting in the near future in France and the Jade will return to Houston in October and vessels even ones that sail outside of the U.S. anticipate 2 inspections a year, it is possible that the ship may be inspected outside of US waters. Also, any incidents related to the pool and diaper aged children must be logged and that log is reviewed during the next inspection.

 

There are numerous requirements for an infant pool onboard a cruise ship which the little enclosed pool on the Jade does not meet. The only ship in NCL's fleet that might have an infant pool is the escape with the expanded nursery program for 6 months to 3 years

 

 

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Apparently they do allow it because nobody said anything to them. Oh, sorry your information might be outdated because there certainly was one on the jade few weeks ago.

 

 

The Jade absolutely DOES NOT have an infant pool for diapered children. The ship can and will be cited on their USPH inspection for allowing diapered children in the pool.

 

 

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Has anyone had experience with access needs and the new assigned arrival time? We arrive at 9am for check-in because my young daughter is removed from the reservation and it takes time for the desk agent to call over the supervisor to call over the access officer from the ship to then have the supervisor reinstate her on our reservation as well as work on finalizing the dock clearance for us to board via the crew gangway. I can't imagine going through all these steps at noon or 1pm.

 

 

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I was trying to make a reservation for 5 yesterday and was only given 8:30 on any day. I was given multiple options for a party of 4 or 6. I called NCL and was told their computer system doesn't like odd numbers. We decided I would book for 4 at our desired time and add the 5th person when I got on board. I hope that works.

 

 

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I would recommend changing your reservation to 6 rather than 4. Due to the table arrangements it is easier to have one less person at a table for 6 then add a chair to a table for 4. Adding to a table for 4 is nearly impossible even if it is a child in a high chair.

 

 

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What is the best way to keep in touch with teens on ship?

 

 

 

Talk with them.

 

 

This! We require meal time meet ups to sit and discuss the next time frame and what their plans are and where they will be. Breakfast covers until lunch for younger teens, older teens until dinner. Then regroup for evening at dinner and establish curfew time.

 

 

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[quote name='philhar']Hi the roll calls seem to disappear as soon as the cruise has started,I have tried ringing the ship twice now via the automated pay system.I had dead space for a while and was then cut off.I have been billed for 2 substantial amounts and never got through!I am wary of doing it again[/QUOTE]


There is the central automated call system where you dial one number and then select your ship. There is also an international call direct number for each ship. I needed to reach my parents while they were cruising and has the same dead space and cut off experience. ask guest relations for the international direct number.


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The "juices" in the buffet are not really juice rather flavored water. I've had a bar tender hand my daughter a virgin strawberry daiquiri without the UBP card and never swiped my card for it after we stood in line together to order it and she is 4 years old.

 

 

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[quote name='gooch47']Trust but still use caution.



My DIL is very allergic to onions. One morning in the MDR she ordered smoked salmon which usually comes with onions. She told the waiter "no onions" very emphatically. So, of course they came with onions. She sent them back and when a second serving arrived, she smelled the plate and sure enough detected onions. They must have just scraped them off. Just the residue would have triggered her allergy.



But ... her treatment by the head waiter for her evening meals was outstanding.[/QUOTE]


I have never had this experience, did your daughter tell them food allergy to onions or just no onions? It doesn't make sense to me that a meal prepared in the allergy kitchen and brought to the guest would contain the allergen. Particularly if the access desk form lists the allergy and it is included on an inventory for that sailing.

We made reservations the night before for each restaurant, the restaurant manager or food and beverage director often circulated during dinner and would find us and ask where we planned to eat the next night or I was to call them and tell them where we would be eating.

My daughters life threatening allergy is also to environmental triggers of natural rubber and is airborne, direct and indirect contact as well as latex cross reactive syndrome to banana, avocado, kiwi and chestnut. We bird the ship through the crew gangway, attend make up muster drill, are escorted off the ship and have been escorted to the crew elevators when the regular passenger elevators and stairs and filled with balloons from señor frogs.

She is 4 yeas old and cruising is one of the least stressful vacations for her dad and I as it literally feels like the entire ship is working to keep her safe.


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I hope it stays that way for our spring break 2016 cruise!

 

 

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Due to issues with allergies & weight gain my children only drink coconut milk. We'll be on the Pearl in July. When I emailed NCL to figure out a way to bring on and store coconut milk they responded that it would be provided for us.

I'm having a hard time trusting someone else with my children's health.

I have since found some stores carry shelf-stable coconut milk. I plan to bring some of that to make it easier to take off the ship in ports, etc. I'm tempted to pack enough for the whole week but that seems like wasted luggage space if NCL will actually have it on board.

 

Anyone have experiences with special dietary requests such as this? How much should I trust that any maitre d I ask (as instructed in the email) will be able to find and deliver coconut milk to my children?

 

 

110% trust allergy accommodations, we can ONLY sail NCL due to my daughters severe allergies! I'll post more later about or experiences.

 

 

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This is good to know! My son is allergic to tree nuts, peanuts and shellfish. I filled out and emailed the form to NCL a while ago, after inquiring via the access desk, the same as you did.

 

 

 

Glad to hear there was bread that was safe. My son will be happy about that. How about desserts? What are some desserts he was able to enjoy? And what about the danish and muffins at breakfast? Were any of those safe?

 

 

 

We eat mostly in the MDR too, as it's much easier than the buffet for allergies as well as the fact that we enjoy relaxing and being served in the MDR on vacation. But occasionally we grab something at lunchtime from the buffet or grill. In 2011 on the Jewel, when we were only aware of my son's shellfish allergy at that point (discovered the nut allergies in 2012), we were at the pool one afternoon and they opened up a small buffet with burgers and stuff. DS wanted a cheeseburger so I asked the chef if everything was safe for him with the shellfish allergy. The chef said he would feel more comfortable to just go to the back and get DS whatever he wanted. He asked where we were sitting. He went to the back, got a fresh cheeseburger and fries for my son, and served him at the table where we were sitting. Talk about being treated like a king! That was a very big deal to my son and he still talks about it! He was only 6 years old at the time.

 

 

 

This will be out first time sailing NCL with the nut allergies though. We sail on the Breakaway in July. We went on Carnival in 2013 and they were wonderful with all his food allergies. He was able to have desserts, danish and croissants at breakfast, and same thing like for your DH, they brought him the menu for the following evening every night in the MDR and he ordered what he wanted. If he was torn between two things, the waiter brought him both!

 

 

My daughter is 4 and has a life threatening latex allergy with latex fruit syndrome (her body does not recognize the protein difference between natural rubber latex and banana, avocado, kiwi and chestnut). We have sailed big ships and smaller ships without a problem. The routine is the same contact access desk, remind about allergies at check in for dinning and ask server again. We often made reservations ahead of time and were expected at a specific location and a certain time. I could spot our table as the box of unopened gloves worn for food prep would already be sitting at our table. We knew they were latex free but I was to check the gloves at each meal and and confirm they were safe for her.

 

She is also treated like royalty with many similar examples to the poster above hamburger story. Fresh fruit from the allergy kitchen as the pre made fruit platters have kiwi, she's gotten faces or unique shapes when her fruit arrives.

 

Breakaway was actually one of the best accommodations we've experienced and have taken that with us as we make arrangements on other ships.

 

 

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4 cruises sailed with NCL and 1 booked for 2016

 

 

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