SliderNc

1 hour ago, Oxo said:

I believe these are the current prices for the pkgs.

If not, sorry.

I think that is pretty close.  If I factor in the 18% gratutity, the prices are close to what was in my cart when I chose the 2-meal package (94.90).

 

Thanks for posting this.

 

2 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

This is a very interesting question.  The answer is, you, you need to buy a package for your guests outside of you and your wife.  My family and I are doing the same thing.  We have two specialty meals with the free at sea and one for the French  restaurant complements of AMX.  So we purchased a package of three for each guest so we can all go to dinner together. 

 

This also gives everyone the ability to eat else where on the other nights if we choose to do so.  Really enjoy your cruise. 

 

Cruise well.

It's interesting that you say need.  Can I not make a reservation for a restaurant for three if my daughter does not have the package as well?  I was under the impression that most of them went a-la-cart or allowed it to be charged to your room.  If that is not the case, then I will definitely by the package.

9 minutes ago, CarnivalNico said:

Hi all!  Booked my first NCL cruise which just so happens to be my first Alaskan cruise.  I'm super excited!  As such, this will be my first time requiring a flight to get to a port, I'm sailing out of Vancouver.  (I live in Florida so I'm driving distance to all the main ports and never needed a flight.)

 

Questions I have that I'm hoping this community could give me answers too.

1.  Should I allow NCL to book my flights or should I book them myself to try and save some money?

2.  If NCL books my flight, what happens if my flight is canceled or delayed and I miss embarkation?  I'll be flying from Tampa so it's a long way... I imagine the risk of flight delays might be greater since it's a MUCH longer flight.

3.  If NCL books my flight, do I have any say as to when I fly in or out?  Kinda wouldn't mind spending an extra day or two in Vancouver to check it out before my cruise.

4. Will I need to get a hotel?  Or do they try and get me flown in/out on the same day as embarkation/debarkation?

 

Thanks all!  

1.  That's up to you.  Answers to the following questions might help in your decision.

2. My assumption is that you will be on a very early flight the day of departure where you'll land in Vancouver sometime around 9-10AM.  I haven't heard of them booking flights and a hotel for the day before for a cruise for any passenger in their system, but I could be wrong.

3. You do not have any say as to when you fly in or out.  They will put you on flights that will get you to the ship on time (minus things they can't control like flight delays and weather, etc.) and home after debarkation.  Considering you have to go back 3 hours going back, it is possible you might get a redeye flight debarkation day if its financially sound for them to book vs. what you would want to happen.

4. See answer to question 2. 

 

With that said, personally, I like to book my own flight and choose the airlines that I like to fly.  If you've never been to Vancouver before, it is an awesome city and definitely worth flying in a day or two before hand to explore and see.  Great food and atmosphere, plus peace of mind that you'll be there well before your cruise.

 

I just booked my first Alaskan cruise for July on Encore and am super excited as well. 

 

Good luck with your decision and hope you enjoy your cruise.

2 hours ago, JennKach said:

I've been trying to get a small family cruise together for a couple years now and I think it will never happen.  Our kids are in the life stage where pregnancies and births mean somebody is "out" due to being too pregnant or a baby too young to cruise.  Nobody wants to cruise without their significant other, which I totally understand and support.  One son doesn't want to get vaccinated, but he will for the cruise.  College and internships and new jobs with lack of vacation time have to be worked around.  Now throw in the vaccination status of young children, and not knowing when they will be eligible has my head spinning.  We have a window in May which works for everyone, but this throws a wrench in the situation.  NCL is my preference but I'll check into policies for the others.  I give up for now.

We were waiting for the 5-12 approval to come through before we even thought about booking a cruise as our daughter is now old enough to enjoy the cruise vs. us chasing her around when she was 2.5 years old on her first one and not really enjoying it.  Most of my extended family won't be able to cruise due to the ages of their children or just fear of COVID.  However, I do think that because the vaccine is available for 5-12 year olds, NCL *should* modify their requirements for cruising to include all vaccinated passengers ages 5 and up.  In the case of the OP however, the timing of this just does not work out to be able to cruise.

8 hours ago, LKCCruiser said:

I believe Teppanyaki is now $39 and Cagneys will be a la carte so it may depend on whether she orders appetizer and dessert to see if it's worth it. Our son is a foodie too and I think he checks the prices before looking at the entrées and orders whatever's most expensive so buying dining package has been worth it for us! Also, sample menus are showing on most specialty restaurants on the ship info pages on NCL so check that out too.

Thanks.  It might make more sense to get the package with the price increases.  My daughter will get the filet at Cagney's more than likely, probably a salad and definitely dessert (more than likely just ice cream, where she's not a foodie).

 

Thanks everyone for the tips (check boxes actually do uncheck).  So after weighing this out, the one place I know we are eating is Teppanyaki.  That's $29.95 unless the price has changed since it was posted back in 2018.  I haven't found any evidence that it has.  Haven't decided on the second night, but more than likely Cagney's.  So when I do the math, with 18% gratuity added for her, that comes out to around $77.  The 2-meal package is $94.90 right now.  So either my math is bad, or the prices have gone up on their specialty dining stuff.

 

Gonna start searching out for the current prices.

I've done some searches and haven't turned anything up on this so I'm going to ask.

 

The past few cruises, it's only been my wife and I so we've gotten the two free specialty dining as part of Free At Sea.  My DD will be joining us on our next two cruises.  I'm assuming that she won't eat for free with us, but she's turned into a bit of a foodie like her parents.  In the summary, it doesn't show her having the package.  Do I need to get that added?  How do I do that for her?  If I try to buy it through the portal, it tries to add it for all three of us.

On 10/24/2021 at 8:25 PM, JamieLogical said:

I haven't been on the Epic... have avoided it because of it's wonky bathroom layout and it's lack of outdoor views/spaces. I love the Escape, though! It has the Waterfront, which is the best feature of the Breakaway and Breakaway Plus class ships. I like that it has District Brew House as well. Really missed that on the Breakaway sailing I just came back from. The most underrated feature of the Escape, in my opinion, is Pincho Tappas.

I'll second you on Pincho Tappas.  Escape was the last cruise we took in 2017 and that was one of our favorite places to eat.  I've never been on Epic though, so I can't compare, but Escape was my favorite cruise because of the crew.  They were amazing.  The ship is really nice as well and I thought that they learned a lot from the previous builds to make it a good ship.

I've sailed on Mariner (2008) and Freedom (2010), and Breakaway (2015) and Escape (2017).  I will say that the food on RCL is much better than NCL and being a foodie, I found that the specialty dining on RCL to be much better, but food is super subjective for everyone.  Otherwise, I found that both cruiselines do some things really well and some things not as well.  NCL crew was much better than RCL in terms of friendliness though, which is a huge thing for us.  They become a huge part of your vacation and when they are friendly, it just makes it that more special.  I will agree that there is some lack of good ships/sailings right now for NCL, but I'm okay with maybe doing a cruise on a ship I normally wouldn't or repeating an itinerary just to be on a ship.

 

Variety is the spice of life, or something like that, so enjoy your future cruise.

We had Adrian on Escape and the few times that we needed the concierge, he was on top of things with a smile and always a pleasure to deal with, even if it was something that was not going well for us. 

 

While I always weigh out the costs of Haven vs. not having it, the extras and the "ship within the ship" concept is what I like the best.  The bartenders and mixologist at the Haven bar/lounge always had something new up his sleeves to try for a pre-dinner cocktail.  The service in the area while lounging around on sea days or even a port day on our last cruise was amazing.  Nothing is ever a problem.  We were able to order dinner one night from a Specialty place and it was great, but you need to notify them in advance.

 

Glad you had a great cruise as a first timer and got to experience the Haven.

I've stayed in 9706 on the Escape.  Overall, we were really happy with the cabin.  I don't have any pics of it and I'm sorry for that.

 

As other have said above, the distance is one of the farthest to the elevators but for my wife and I, that was not a problem for us as the extra steps were welcomed to offset the amount of food and libations we were taking part in daily.  The view isn't the greatest though and I would have wanted to be higher up than that.  There was some noise at times as well as I think there was a small social area for the crew on the bow of the ship when we sailed in 2017. 

 

 

2 minutes ago, renji said:

Thank you! Any recommendations on the

1) Haven spa suite (15260 or 15860)

 2) the Aft PH with balcony (10314 or 10914) 

v

3) Haven courtyard many options on 17 snd 18126

4) Haven 2 br with large balcony

 

2 and 4 are probably around $1500 more than 1 and 3. I’m attracted to 1, 2 and 4 but trying to figure out if I need to be in the Haven to enjoy it fully!

 

 

With the Aft PH, you'll basically be walking the entire ship to get to the Haven everyday.  For me and my wife on our last cruise, it was great because it was good exercise to combat all of the stuff we were eating.  Prior to the Haven, I always went for Aft balconies on other cruise because it's nice to watch the wake of the ship and even in ports see some interesting things. 

 

Option 3 and 4 are in the Haven itself so you'd be right there to enjoy all of the things that go along with the Haven without the walk.

6 hours ago, chefchick said:

I would 100% agree with that…but I have to ask this question…if I am being tested at the pier, why the need for 72 hour advance testing?  And if I have tested in advance, why the need for testing at the pier?

Just because you test negative 72 hours before, there is a chance that you could test positive three days later.  This happened to me back in January when my first test came back negative (PCR) and three days later I felt like I got hit by a truck and my second PCR test came back positive.  My wife had the same results and was asymptomatic.  NCL is mitigating the risk  to shell out money and putting it on you to test 3 days prior.  Per a previous poster, from the looks of it, if you don't get the test and test positive at embarkation, you will not get a refund.  That is how I am interpreting it as well.

 

Good luck and I hope you are able to cruise.

5 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

No way.  From what I've read, people in the Haven are always given some kind of special treatment.  Otherwise, why would they pay twice as much as the poor people in steerage?

The Haven guests wouldn't have to wait in line with the rest of the non-Haven guests.  They would go up to the Haven Lounge and take the service elevators to the embarkation gangway and get ahead of the line.  That's what happened with us on previous cruises.

 

31 minutes ago, fastpitchdad said:

 

Because NCL chose this dock (probably because it was somehow cheaper).

While I don't disagree about the costs being a factor, there are a ton of other factors that go into choosing new docking areas for cruise ships.  Environmental, economic, etc. all come into play.  NCL probably offered up funding for it in addition to what the tourism/government of Alaska were willing to put in as well.

19 minutes ago, JC5240 said:

Astonishing to me that just a tugboat pulls that gigantic mother out for her float out! The timelapse video that FreestyleNovice posted showed the tugboat struggling - it was kind of humorous LOL.

 

I can't wait to sail this ship! I'm going to wait until I sail Escape in November to book so I can cash in on some CruiseNext certificates. 

Tugboats aren't built for speed, but for power to move large things at slow speed and maintain control of them.  I wouldn't want a brand new billions of dollars ship going more than a knot before it's first sea tests while it is being floated out either... 🙂

The longest I've driven is 9 hours.  With status and airline miles that I've accumulated since that drive, we haven't driven to a cruise port since then (2008) since we get free bags and upgraded more often than not.  When that luxury ends for us however, I would definitely drive up to 12 hours to reach a port (day before or split it).

 

The cruise industry business model is really interesting if you've ever seen it and the algorithms that they use to calculate prices for cruise are also.  They plan for this type of thing so that they are maximizing their revenue/profits during peak seasons knowing that they might be making less revenue/profit on other cruises.  My wife and I have mostly cruised off season where ships were not full and the discounts on cabins were pretty deep.  Sadly, I have to change that now that I have kids.  But either way, this is still somewhat normal for them and is expected with how they are ramping up capacities and such with COVID.

Back in 2017 when I upgraded to Haven from a then mini-suite, our email to upgrade came on 8/30 for our 9/17 sailing.  I put in and modified by bids on 9/2 and found out on 9/6 about our upgrade.  I don't know if it had opened earlier than that for me as I had booked the cruise in late 2016.

 

Either way, enjoy your cruise.  Now that we've been in Haven, my wife won't go back to just a plain ole balcony anymore.

2 hours ago, KennyFla said:

What happened to NCL?  Remember back in April they were so gung ho, and gave the CDC that ultimatum that they were going to sail July 4th.  Now other lines are moving forward and they seem to be floundering.  

While I don't have any cruises booked yet, it did surprise me a bit as well that they are much slower out of the gate after all of the grandstanding they did in the spring.  However, I also don't think it's a bad thing as they are getting to see how other lines are handling things sailing out of Florida so that they can see what mistakes or changes need to be made.  It's not a bad way to harden the product in this new day in age.

As another poster has stated, knowing the current difference in price will help to determine what to bid.  I went from a balcony to Haven Foward Facing room on Escape a few years ago.  We had paid $2200/total for our balcony all in (taxes, etc.).  I bid $850/pp and go the upgrade.  It was the first and only time we did the upgrade advantage and won.  At the time, the price difference when I placed my bid about 22 days out from sailing was about $2000/pp. 

 

The other thing to take into account is what the capacity of the ship will be when sailing.  If they are sailing below capacity because of COVID, then there might be a good chance that a lower than normal bid might score you a win.  There is a site that you can check (can't post it) that many have used to check what cabins are available for your cruise and gauge chances of winning.

 

Good luck.  I will say that over the years of cruising, as you move from inside to oceanview to balcony, you end up never going back.  I've already been warned that when we plan our 2022 cruise, I better be booking Haven...

It is a tough situation to be put in and would question my loyalty to any company especially when your heart is in it and you are also a shareholder.

 

I continue to hope that things get better and cruising really starts up again.  I held off on booking anything the past year because I had no faith in this being a fast process and looking at all of the lines and their plans, I sense that they are trying to get back on track a bit as a company more than honor loyalty.  They have gone without major revenue for over a year and will continue that way for almost close to two years when it's all said and done.  The pent up demand for cruising now that there is some light at the end of the tunnel with COVID-19 is going to cause cruise fares to be expensive for a bit of time as well as the company needing to start generating revenue for shareholders.  At the beginning of the pandemic, NCL stock dropped like a rock (ironically, I bought another 200 shares when it was in single digits) and it has come back a bit, but not to it's 1 year high pre-pandemic.

 

I hope you are able to enjoy your cruises and experience other lines.  While NCL is my favorite overall right now for what it provides my family, there are other lines out there that offer similar products and I always think that everyone should experience it at least once to see if they are missing something that their favorite line does not provide.

The one time I was in the Haven, there were kids.  There were parents who were scolding them when they were breaking the rules (this was on Escape) and for the most part, after the first day, when the kids were in the Haven areas, they were really well behaved and had good manners.  One of them even helped my wife carry a bag back when we were coming back from shopping in a port. 

 

Honestly, I think there is a lot of speculation going on based on something that was released last week that I'm sure none of their agents know the exact details on. 

 

Ironically, I've seen more adults acting like children in the Haven on the cruise I went on...

@Sthrngary Thanks for posting some great tips and tricks for The Haven.

 

My one and only Haven experience was on Escape, which also happens to be my last cruise.  My wife and I are avid travelers for work and for pleasure.  We both spend about 50% of our time on the road for work for our jobs so we've become pretty savvy travelers for the most part.  In with any public forum, opinions will be shared, some likable, some not at all.  That's what makes it great.

 

Some of my observations about the Haven and the "bang for the buck" all around:

 

We ended up bidding on a Haven Suite during the bidding window and winning the Forward Facing Penthouse.  Comparing the pricing that day of the Haven Suite we won vs. the listed price on the website, we saved over $2500.  We were originally booked in a M6 close to The District which I had gotten a pretty good deal on already.  IMO, I think that the Haven is worth what people will pay for it.  If people are comfortable with the list prices and offers that come up, I think that is great.  Would I have paid $2500 for what we received?  More than likely, I would.  But the fact that they were willing to let it go for $2500 less for something that is considered a "special" experience, makes me question their pricing practices.

 

We were well within the 60 day window, however, thanks to this board, we were able to get some requests into the pre-concierge email address and have them for when we arrived on the ship.  I believe this is one thing that made a huge difference.   I suggest that everyone do this, even for something that they think can wait until they get onboard.

 

The Concierge was great.  We had reserved some specialty dining pre-cruise and based on some excursions that we had booked for some ports, needed some time changes.  All but one were able to be met and we were flexible enough to move one of our dining nights to another night.  Every other meal was eaten in the Haven restaurant. 

 

While neither my wife or I have any dietary needs (I'm on vacation, I'm eating anything and everything I want and will deal with the consequences later), when we asked the server one night if we could modify our meal, the chef came out and asked what we wanted to do and it also ended up being the best meal of the week for us.  If NCL would change the menu even two or three times per 7-day cruise, I think the experience would be even better dining there and I would be less inclined to do specialty dining (even though you get 3 nights).

 

If there is anything that made our cruise, it was the Haven Lounge/Bar.  After we had met our butler and room steward and got our stuff put away, we made our way there for drinks.  Similar to your wife, my wife is quite introverted and while easily pleased, she will not go out of her way to ask for things or anything special nor state she is really unhappy with something.   Regardless of tipping etiquette, after signing for the drinks, I handed over a $20 bill and thanked them both.  Similarly on our first day in the loungers, when the attendant came around and asked us if we wanted drinks, I handed them a $10.  My wife was taken care of from then on in (as was I).  It is a great insurance policy for me because I know my wife will completely go up one side and own the other on me if something is bad/wrong/unhappy, etc.  This sets a tone.  The rest of the week, if we were together, I tipped in cash.  My wife always had money to tip as well for good service as needed.  We also tipped at the end of the cruise for both the bartenders and servers the last afternoon.

 

Properly trained butlers who care about their jobs are key.  We've stayed at other all-inclusive resorts in the past where we've had really good and bad experiences with butlers.  This was our first time having a butler on a cruise and did not know what to expect.  While rarely seen other than the first day, one of the port days and our last sea day, was on top of any and all of our pre-cruise requests (buckets of ice, removing stuff from the fridge, extra coffee pods for the Nespresso, etc.).  He called on the third day to make sure we weren't needing anything special and offered to help us pack if we wanted it on the last day.  Snacks and ice tea were always in the room waiting for us (my wife drinks a ton of it) as well as one day, when my wife ate all of the snacks on me before I could get back (and one of the few times he was seen) came back with more for me to enjoy as we sailed on to the next port from our balcony.  Too many times, I heard comments in the lounge about the butler wouldn't do this or that.  Understanding the role of the butler and the concierge are important to making the experience enjoyable.

 

Kids in the Haven has been debated for as long as the product as existed.  It's like children in first class on an airplane as well.  At the end of the day, kids will behave how their parents show them to behave.  We didn't have any issues with kids in the Haven on our cruise and as you said, sometimes there are issues, sometimes there are not.  My heart goes out to any parent in any public place where they are having to get their kids in line as it can be embarassing and frustrating for them and the child.  My DD is turning 7 in a month and will be going on her first real cruise next year, more than likely in the Haven because we can't see going back to a balcony.  Her previous cruise when she was 2.5 years old I don't think she understood much about it (it was to bury my father at sea as his last wish, he worked in the industry for 52 years) and both my DW and I know that we will get glares and stares when we get onboard and into the Haven.  In the end, NCL is a family cruise line.  Those booking the Haven, where there are family suites, should expect that there will be children.  But fair warning should be given to anyone that this is not an 18+ area.

 

 

The flu has struck our household the past two weeks and while I Escaped unscaithed, little could be said of my DD and Jenn who ended up getting the worst of it. I've had to play nurse and chief cuddler for my two sick people. Alas, it has not given me a lot of free time lately to write as much as I have crammed in my head, however, the next installment will be along shortly and hopefully more will be coming sooner. Everyone is on the mend and the makers of Lysol have thanked me for my sizable investment in spray clans and cleaners.

 

Note to all those who think it's a joke: get a flu shot, it is what had saved me from getting what they got (as they had not gotten theirs yet).

One of the best old fashioneds I’ve had. Truly a work of art

 

 

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He is an amazing bartender. He would not accept the mixologist title because he said those guys have a degree in chemistry and he does not. My wife enjoyed many of those on our week as well as some other concoctions that he would come up with. His skills and his great sense of humor made it hard for us to go to any other bar that week. Miro was a highlight of our cruise and I'm glad you both enjoyed the old fashioned.

 

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