WhenIsOurNextCruise

BTW, if you happen to be in the Haven you can disembark on a priority basis.

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We are in a 2bedroom Haven. My husband is obsessed with the balcony of the deluxe owners suite and wants to bid on it.

We found the balcony of the deluxe owner’s suite to be impossibly windy when underway. Fine when in port.

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No, it must first be APPROVED by NCL prior to your arrival to the port.

 

 

 

If not approved, go to your normal check-in area.

I believe it can be changed by the concierge in the Haven. Have him tell the concierge that is what you want to do and you can go up and make the switch to your card.

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Can the UBP be used in casino?

 

Thanks,

Certainly.....

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Perfect - thanks so much for the info!

We are in a Haven Family Suite and were offered the opportunity to bid for the Haven Owner's Suite. Haven't heard yet. We sail in March and since it is Spring Break in lots of places I have a feeling the cruise will be sold out.

Parents still going but just two in the room now instead of four?

Maybe they will let you substitute two other people??? Or you can always "gift" the cruise to the two dropouts next Christmas as in, I got you a gift and it was the lovely cruise. Sorry you couldn't make it.

What I was wondering for example jade doesn't have dedicated restaurant right? Is Service better on Jade since its a smaller ship . Are the cabins laid out the same. Is the food better on one etc....

 

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Having sailed in the Haven on the Epic twice, Breakaway, Escape, and Getaway coming up in March, I can say that I enjoyed each of those ships we have been on more than cruising in the Haven area on the Pearl, Jade, Or Gem! But we were still very happy in every Haven area we have been in.

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Legit question - no sarcasm or anything: Are people planning their cruises around the officers? For instance, if you hear that so&so transferred to a different ship/itinerary would you switch cruises to follow them? Or if so&so was now on your cruise and they were rumored to be terrible would you switch to avoid them? Basically I'm asking what does it matter who the officers are or what their vacation schedules are?

 

 

 

Incidentally, when I go on a cruise and see a officer/crew member who I remember it's like a pleasant surprise to me but I enjoy surprises like that. If it is someone I don't like which I had once it didn't really bother me as we weren't sharing a cabin or meals or anything.

We always want to cruise with Adrian Bica as our concierge.

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This is not poker. You do not raise ANY hands at that table game until the end.

You are, I believe, talking about a table game called Ultimate Texas Hold'em. You are playing only against the dealer and can also place a trips plus bet. There are also one or twoTexas Holdem tables for no limit play. And several tournaments usually held on sea days.

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Maybe it is a $250 fine per incident. If you smoke in a stateroom I hope that I don't get that stateroom for an entire week after you have been there smoking for an entire week.

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Bummer! Adrian is the best, bar none. I know he has been bringing out all the new ships but I was hoping he might like to get away on the Getaway!

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Does anyone know the concierge for the Getaway for March? Fingers crossed it is Adrian Bica!

10:00 would be too close for me! Why not spend the night and go the next morning.

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We have gotten an understanding in advance about what happens if our ship doesn't make it. Pick a reputable guide and you should be okay. Also, I think we seldom paid in advance.

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Very nice review! If you had to pay for the food in Margaritaville, would it have been okay?

I'm not the OP, but sailed last week and ate at Margaritaville for lunch twice. We would have paid for the food at Margaritaville but would probably have eaten a little less. We skipped breakfast and had appetizers and a burger or salad and dessert. We would have skipped appetizers. The ambiance and service were great. The french fries were crisp and hot. Being out on deck 16 near the pool gave it a great open air feeling. I liked the Beach Club Sandwich and it is only $3.99 on the new menu.

On another note we ate ala carte at Food Republic twice for dinner and it was worth every dime!

Burgers and wings are great at O'Sheehans. Didn't try the buffet burger. Margaritaville had good burgers, free last week, but not this week. And the fries at Margaritaville were perfect - crisp on the outside and served HOT. And there is a burger on the Haven Restaurant lunch menu that is great. The Key Lime pie at Margaritaville was delicious too!

We had a leisurely breakfast, disembarked about 9:30 and arrived at the Miami airport around 10:30 after waiting on a shuttle bus for about 20 minutes. It was a 20 minute ride to the airport on Saturday morning. We could have left much earlier, taken a taxi and probably been at the airport by 8:30.

Do you know if the Prime Rib in O'Sheehan's was still being offered?:)

I am pretty sure they offered all-u-can-eat prime rib in O'Sheehan's on the first night.

Do you know if the Prime Rib in O'Sheehan's was still being offered?:)

They offered prime rib in O'Sheehan's on the first night.

We were on deck 17 and it was rocking, but we definitely weren't afraid. There was a magnificent sunrise and then came the rain and storm. TV Navigation said 8' seas but it looked more like 12+. My grandson had an upset stomach but took a Bonine and slept it off. We were fine by around 3:00 pm.

We were on a cruise in New Zealand a couple of years ago and the wind was so strong we were doing negative 3 knots trying to get across Cook Strait to the Tasman Sea. Now THAT was scary. And we have been in 30' seas near Haines Alaska and couldn't get up the canal to Skagway. Stayed in bed to ride that one out.

We were on the Thanksgiving cruise last week and heard that from the staff. At the time they thought it would be a $5 "cover charge", and they weren't sure but it makes sense it would be per person. Probably because the line starts forming at 11:00 and it is packed with waiting people until mid afternoon. Food was good.

This is day zero because it doesn't count toward any of the days of our 7 day cruise! Up very early to get through Houston traffic to the Airport for our 7:15 flight to Miami. My husband, sister, son, daughter-in-law and precious cargo, my 8 year old grandson, Connor. Connor was going to miss what he thought was the most important day thus far in his young life, the Saturday morning super bowl game for his flag football team, which he had quarterbacked though 300+ points in an undefeated season. We were doing a rain dance, hoping for a delay until after Thanksgiving.

Traffic was easy but the airport was crowded. Lots of people leaving for the week of Thanksgiving. Stepped up security made the lines longer than usual at 5:45 in the morning. Fortunately we were TSA pre-check, which sped things up. We have arrived at a time in our lives when we have decided life is short so you might as well go first class! This is our big family vacation for the year so we all flew first class and it was wonderful except breakfast. Choice was oatmeal or scrambled eggs. When we fly coach I always imagine some magnificent spread going on up in first class, but that's a big NO! Uneventful flight, arrived on time, grabbed our 10 bags plus carry-ons (we always overpack) and climbed into two taxis for the trip downtown to the Mandarin Oriental on Brickell Island. Rooms weren't ready, so we bell checked all the bags except the one with meds, money and jewelry and rolled it down to the beach for lunch. Started with chips and guacamole and salsa and then had some great sandwiches. A $75 lunch in Texas was $210 in Miami but the view was amazing, service was great and the real estate was expensive!

Got into our rooms which were okay, not really too special except for the view. Dinner later at Burgers and Brew was outstanding! Next morning it was breakfast at the hotel where they graciously agreed to make BLT's, not on the menu, for a couple of us. Again we were outside on the Bay and it was worth every dollar. One issue with the Mandarin is that every taxi ride involves crossing one or two draw bridges, which can take a lot of time and tick, tick, ticks on the taxi meter.

Day 1

Off we go Saturday morning to Terminal B for checkin, while receiving text updates on the big playoff game in progress. We booked through Casinos at Sea back in February where my husband and I were offered a complementary balcony mini suite. We asked them to upgrade that to a Haven Suite and we paid the difference. The kids (actually they are adults) two bedroom suite has been offered at a discount in the past, but not this time. It was full price. My sister is a CAS player too and we came up with a rather unique idea. CAS allowed her to book a mini suite on 15 at a substantial discount plus they allowed us to book her into our Haven Suite as the third guest in the suite. That would allow her to sleep in her own cabin but enjoy all the amenities of the Haven with us. We all squeezed through the mad rush at Terminal B and through security and made a bee-line for the Haven Check in TINY room. Said TINY room was jam packed with many people including many large family groups traveling for the holiday. Only two ladies working the checkin desk. We were in line but the large groups were taking a long time. And, unfortunately, once we got to the front, our unique reservation with my sister in two rooms was a kink no one knew how to deal with. We finally got them to check her into her mini suite, and we worked out the Haven checkin with the Concierge later in the day. But checkin was an hour in a TINY room with two very patient reservation specialists and constant text updates regarding the ongoing football game back in Houston...without Connor! It was back and forth scoring and I am happy to say we won about the exact same time we were escorted up to The Haven!

More later.......

I am not a soda drinker but drink mostly iced tea. I haven't cruised in a few years but I never liked the iced tea on any of the cruise ships I've been on. Anyone know if there is unsweetened brewed iced tea on the breakaway?

They may tell you they have it but it still tasted like rubber tires to me. Tea bags are available and you can make your own hot and then add ice.

Could you tell him what you want and have it delivered to your room?

That would be a request for your butler and I'm certain he or she could handle for you.

It may have been mentioned by someone, but just wanted to let you know that the NCL ships deal in American Dollars no matter where they are. For example, the gambling in the casino at the tables and slots is all dollars. They can exchange some for you or you can charge an amount to your room and get cash.

If you do a walking tour in Barcelona (or anywhere really) be extra cautious about purse, wallet, and other personal belongings. There are some areas that are know for pick pockets and that would be a really bad way to start your trip.

And another word about the $13 per day for tips that perhaps your dad doesn't understand......Those tips are spread among ALL of the service personnel on board except the Butler and the Concierge - So $13 per day per person is a bargain for sure when you consider it covers the room stewards and wait staff for 3 (or 4) meals per day. Also, there is an 18% service charge added to drinks, which is another automatic tip. All that being said, if your dad wants to tip more, he certainly may.

Love the Epic. Have fun.