meggie711

Heads up - I just upgraded from a midship 8th deck balcony to an aft and they mentioned there is one left in that category! Looks like an amazing unobstructed view! Happy Sailing!

Congrats! We had 11313 and loved it! Best cruise yet!!!

We had never sailed around spring break until our 2013 cruise on NCL Epic. We went on 3/30/13, and sailed over Easter. While there was a lot of kids and teens on the trip, it was not the crazy, frustrating, annoying hot-mess that I was afraid of. We noted that no problems with noise, unruliness, etc. Just FWIW, considering you are bound to end up with spring breakers in the months of March and April.

:)

I wonder if you are able to deny yourself charging privs. as can be done with kids( never done it myself)

But I cannot imagine that any passenger will be let on the ship without some means of payment for expenses.

 

What if you need a toothbrush or ointment or want to play bingo?

That's why I was asking if you pre-pay your DSC, is there a certain amount of available credit that NCL requires on a card in addition. We won't be gambling, have the beverage package, and pre-pay the DSC, so does NCL have current guidelines for credit cards in addition to this. Seems to have been a lot of confusion in the past, so I didn't know if there's any updated information.

Anybody have updated information on this? Just curious if anything has changed. If we pre-pay DSC and have the UBP already, is there a need to give a credit card at check-in? If so, anybody know the available credit required? I prefer emergency credit cards with low credit limits. :)

We returned from 7 glorious days on the Jewel on Saturday with this piece of advice: many of the obstructed ocean view rooms on Deck 8 have NO OCEAN VIEW. That's right, the windows are frosted, which in my opinion is not an ocean view but a *no view* stateroom. If you follow the logic, an inside could be considered an obstructed ocean view...

 

So be wary of booking an OX guarantee on the Jewel, you might not get an ocean view at all.

Wow!! That doesn't seem fair.:confused:

That is soooo sweet. I feel your excitement and know what you mean about the anticipation and planning. At least you don't have too long to wait. Have an awesome cruise, and report back his reaction.

Aww thanks! I will absolutely report back! We are driving down to Miami the day of the cruise (about a 7 hour drive for us), and hoping he sleeps a good portion of the first half. If that's the case, we're hoping he wakes up and thinks we're going to watch the ships at Port Canaveral, since he's used to making that trip every now and then. We're leaving our driveway around 2 or 3 AM, saving room for traffic, pit stops, random police chases, etc. :D

Let's hope he doesn't feel the same way!

.. let's hope he doesn't feel the same way as in loving the anticipation and planning? If he does, we will certainly switch from surprises! ;)

This is our DS's first cruise. He's 5, and we've been waiting for this day since.. well, the day we had him. I'm not sure who's more excited, me or DH! We couldn't decide whether to tell DS or not, and we have decided to wait. We booked with only 45 days till we sail, so I'm not having to sit on it for too long. We always watch the cruise webcams on Sundays, and travel down to Port Canaveral a few times each year to watch the ships sail from Fishlips, so we have the opportunity to feel DS out, seeing what he's excited about, nervous about, answer questions, etc. We will definitely be getting his input in the future, and I will be so excited about creative ways to surprise him, as the planning and anticipation has always been one of my favorite things about cruising! :)

Not sure about the activities because we didn't take DS with us on our Easter cruise in 2013. We were on NCL and they served an easter soup that was the most delicious thing I've ever tasted. If I ever find that recipe... lol:D

There are several spots that provide shade around the main beach areas. We didn't rent a cabana and we didn't have any issues finding either a sunny spot when we wanted to work on the tan or a shady spot when we were tired of laying in the sun.

Awesome, great to know!

DH, DS, and I drive 3+ hours to Port Canaveral for a day trip a few times out of the year. We spend the afternoon at Fishlips, eat yummy food, drink even better drinks, listen to Freddy play, and watch the cruise ships. This is exactly how I would spend my day at PC. :cool:

Same with us, new to the Sky and GSC! We've been to Coco Cay (RCCL's island) several times and hoping it's similar! I do wonder if it's relatively easy to find temporary shade without having to rent a cabana or chair, as we'll be there with our 5 year old.

Anybody have info on the coffee bar menu and prices for NCL Sky? Is it similar to Starbucks in relation to offerings and prices? Just curious as I only started my coffee addiction after my last cruise. ;)

Thanks for the info! :)

I'm not sure about LA, as BC's vary from state to state. If the short form is like Georgia's Certification of Live Birth, it's not acceptable where an actual stamped and certified birth certificate is.

Well the EPIC wouldn't send me back to Carnival (it would take a lot more than that!), but yes to Royal Caribbean. I haven't sailed on EPIC but I did have lunch onboard and toured the ship twice. I wasn't very impressed. In fact I canceled a cruise I had booked on her after the first luncheon. I felt the ship seemed dark, closed-in, and VERY crowded even for embarkation day. It sort of reminded me of a mid-range casino hotel in Vegas like Harras. In fact I embarked right into the casino which I felt was odd and not a great first impression. As someone else mentioned, no spaces on the ship left me with a feeling of WOW. I felt the nicest areas were The Haven (go figure!) and the Studio singles complex. Both were well done.

 

Last month I sailed on GETAWAY and absolutely fell in love with the ship and the entire NCL experience. I couldn't have been more impressed. There are some similarities between GETAWAY and EPIC but they are vastly different ships. GETAWAY is far more open and bright, and totally open to the sea with the wonderful Waterfront promenade. It really sets this design apart. Also I never felt crowded on GETAWAY. The ship is designed well and handles her passengers with ease. The only exception to that might be the main pool areas which were crowded and a bit disjointed in design.

 

Anyway my point in all this is that you can have two very different experiences on the same cruise line. I think this is especially true of NCL as they seem to be the least consistent of the major brands. Until GETAWAY I had pretty much written off NCL as my experiences were inconsistent at best. That all changed after GETAWAY and now I can't wait to have more experiences on NCL. In fact I sail on PEARL this Saturday. I hope it lives up to expectations!

That's so funny! Epic was our first NCL cruise and it turned us into huge NCL fans! Granted, we did miss having access to the sea like we were used to on RCCL's ships, but we spent a lot of time on our aft-balcony, up at Spice H20, and outside of Bliss by the water, so we still felt a connection to the sea, and not like we were in a floating hotel. We can't wait to see what else NCL has to offer. Maybe it's because we had our first aft-facing balcony, but it was just a really special, unique trip. We even talked today about how we'll miss the Epic cabin because we liked the bathroom setup. Different strokes for different folks.

I'm cruising on the Epic in March. I hope we will love it . . we love the RC mega ships.

 

Were there formal nights (although I know you don't have to do) . . if so, do you remember when they were?

 

Thanks.

NCL does Dress Up or Not nights. To be honest, we wore what we felt like every night and fit in just fine. I wore dresses every night, and we chose a night to dress up a little more than the other nights. We're going to have a dress up night on our upcoming Sky cruise even though it's a quick one. It'll be DS's first cruise, and I can't wait to see that little nugget dressed up. :)

We loved Epic and would sail her again in a heartbeat if the price, time, and itinerary were right.

Do we need to actually do anything once on board if we already have the package?

We have an Deck 9 Aft balcony on the Epic, which is covered. Do you think we will have the soot issue?

 

If so, is it only "sooty" when you are moving, not when you are docked?

We were in aft-facing on Epic (deck 11) and never saw the soot that others talk about. You are going to LOVE your balcony! We had lounge chairs and a table, and spent so much time out there! I particularly enjoy the construction of Epic in terms of the straight up and down aft of the ship, as it felt more private than others.

Hello,

 

Can anybody tell me what it is like having a balcony in the aft...pros and cons?

 

If I get an aft balcony is it generally less breezy more warm outside?

 

Do you feel any vibration.

 

Which aft balconies are larger?

 

I am thinking of going on the Getaway.

The absolutely best place on the ship, IMHO! If we could get an aft-facing balcony every time, we would. It gives you an amazing view, and can be incredibly peaceful. Depending on the ship, you may feel more vibrations on one than another. It's supposedly bad in terms of vibration on Epic, but we didn't have any problems. There's also generally less traffic back there, so it can also be peaceful in terms of hallway noise.

Just off Sky. Had a great time. 3 ports in 4 days is pretty good. Very friendly crew and great management. Heard from staff the Sky was #1 in fleet regarding guest reviews over recent weeks.

Great to hear! We will be on the Sky in March and can't wait! It will be our 5 yo DS's first cruise, so we wanted to start small. Gives you a better appreciation for the bigger, newer ships, IMHO. ;) If we are safe, decently warm, comfortable, not at work, and watching a beautiful view, I'm a happy gal. :D

How awesome! I, too, have always enjoyed your reviews, and you kept me on the edge of my seat as I prepared for Epic back in 2013. So sad that she'll be leaving.:(

I hate to hear of anyone having a bad time on Epic, as our Epic cruise was hands down the best vacation I've ever had. We loved the layout, entertainment, food, and staff (some who we are still in contact with on a daily basis). Sorry to hear it wasn't a good experience for you!:(

Can anybody give me a hint on where to look to show that the UBP was part of our reservation (we got it as a promo, didn't actually purchase it)?

Thanks!

You can also link the card with your checking account and have it electronicly transferred.

Anybody know if it's still done this way? If my CC and checkin account are with the same bank, will they/can they just transfer the cash to my checking account? And if so, how fast?