bakerintn

I have had a few email exchanges with them and always heard back in just a few hours.

Here is the email address that I have used:

svfreeradical@gmail.com

I got an email from them this morning, so I know that they are there and monitoring their email.

Good luck.

Does ncl run the resturant or is it by someone else?

someone else

boy...the UBP for $5 more makes this package not look so good.

Here is a link to the NCL flyer on this program.

It does not list a price....I would appreciate learning about this package including the price.

http://www.ncl.com/sites/default/files/Corks-and-Caps-08052013.pdf

Its probably a bigger liability issue if they have lifeguards and don't have the warning signs. In their current set up, users of the pools do so at their own risk and have been warned that there is no lifeguard. Similar with most hotels today.

I recommend that you bring a Magic Bullet and some protein powder. We did that on a cruise after my wife's operation....she was still on the soft food phase...that gave her the nourishment, using non-fat / low-fat milk from room service or the buffet and she was able to pick and choose whatever soft foods she found on the menus without starving.

You can use the Magic Bullet to make almost any of the food work if you bring it back to your stateroom. If you do this, I suggest bringing a small bottle of dish soap so that you can effectively clean the container in your sink.

Hopefully, by the time your cruise comes around, you will be in more advanced phases of food.

My wife's mantra for problems with food:

Too Much

Too Dry

Wrong Foods

Often the price difference between an inside guarantee and a couple of categories up is very little. I wouldn't get hung up on getting the least expensive cabin, considering the total cost of your cruise.

Although I have done a guarantee three times and came out ok, I have decided on the next cruise to book a specific cabin for the location and the layout.

Did you watch the video before commenting on it ? 10 seconds in 5 short blasts of the horn. After that the sailboat under power altered course.

OOPS...had the sound off. I agree that the sailboat should have not tried to cross in front of the Pearl...but it was not all that close. I would have chosen to change course earlier and ducked behind the Pearl as it passed.

Interesting.

Although smaller vessels are smart to avoid larger vessels, the closest boat had the right of way. These vessels were not on a collision course. NCL did not appear to alter course or speed. NCL had radar capable of determining the closest point of approach of the smaller vessel, so must have felt safe in maintaining their course and speed. If NCL had given 5 short blasts on their horn, they would be indicating danger....did they??

Both captains have an obligation to avoid a collision, no matter who has the right of way under the rules at sea. The smaller boat did alter course to improve the clearance distance.

Close, I agree, but not a real danger in my opinion.

Here is a link to the NCL info from their website:

http://www.ncl.com/about/staying-connected-sea-internet-access

Go ahead and try it.

Sometimes they won't get through, but if they do then you have it. It not let through, they will return it to you at the end of the cruise.

The big problem is with appliances that heat up unless they have a safety cut off. Irons and steamers are problems...some hair dryers/curlers/irons can be, too.

Here is a picture of an inside cabin on a Jewel class ship with all 4 beds in place. Your 4-person ocean view will be very similar.

The bathroom and closet will probably be your real problems. Remember that you can use the showers/bathroom in the gym to supplement your own.

From the NCL website:

ButlerService

The Butler liaises closely with the Concierge to provide 24-hour personalized service for the Villa/Suite guests who are given a direct phone or pager number to contact the Butler.

Each Butler is assigned to take care of an average of 9 Villas/Suites each (not available to guests in Mini-Suites).

Services include:

• Unpack luggage
  
• Expedite dry cleaning processes
  
• Shoe-shine service
  
• Serve at Cocktail parties in Villas/Suites
  
• Serve Dinners in Villas/Suites
  
• Delivery of fresh fruit
  
• Delivery of sodas/water/liquor/wine/newspapers if ordered (These are NOT complimentary in all Suite categories)
  
• Delivery of movies from a DVD library
  
• Ensure balconies/gardens are stocked with fresh towels/seat cushions
  
• Fill/empty hot tubs (NOT available in all suites) and instruct guests on safe use
  

Tips for Butler and/or Concierge are NOT included in the $12 pp per day service charge. We recommend guests consider offering a gratuity commensurate with services rendered.

If you do open the dividers yourself, please be aware that the doors move as the ship rocks, so the doors need to be held open somehow for safety.

Many people get a case of "land sickness"---the short-term imbalance after a cruise.

I had not heard of MDDS until your post...it appears that this syndrome effects women 9:1 over men and typically not younger women.

I would think that if someone had this long-term problem, another extended motion event like several days of a rough cruise or maybe even a moderate motion cruise would bring the symptoms back.

From what I just read, there is no definitive diagnosis of this syndrome, and there is no cure. It is a very rare syndrome. My opinion is that if one has never had this syndrome from car or airplane rides, then a cruise is low risk. However, if one has had this extended MDDS before, there could well be a risk.

Here is a picture of an alternate arrangement that your cabin steward should be able to do...the trundle bed goes against the short wall, making a "U" shaped arrangement and keeping the beds separate.

A few years ago, we snorkeled off of what was then known as "Fins and Flippers"...a small cay just seaward from the ship's dock.

I was amazed at how healthy the reef appeared to me....I have not seen a really "live" reef since Bora Bora in the 70's.

I would assume that the reefs all around Roatan island are in pretty good shape.

The menus change from cruise to cruise (I think rotated out of about 21 choices), so all you can do in advance is get a sense of the types of food offered.

In the MDRs there is a "fixed" side of the menu that stays constant for the cruise and the other side changes each day. The two MDS have almost the same "fixed" side, but not exactly.

Here is a link that may help give you a good idea ....

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/misc.php?do=showattachments&t=1459266

They are similar.

However, a passenger needs to get a group together before the cruise and act as the organizer. They make the request of the group event coordinator for that ship. NCL typically does a nice job of these for Cruise Critic members.

The group is typically formed as part of the CC "Roll Call" for that sailing.

Here is the link to the CC roll call board for NCL ships...pick the ship and then search for a thread that has your sailing in the title.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=110

Here is a picture with all 4 beds in place...wall to wall beds plus a bunk. You have to decide if you will be comfortable. The second picture is the same type of cabin with an alternate layout...the trundle has been placed across the cabin, allowing for some foot room between all the beds....this is not standard, but can be done by your cabin steward if you want (take a copy of the picture with you to show him/her).

Whether they allow personal hair dryers or not seems to be variable without any way to predict. If you want to bring one, do...if they hold it for you until the last night, no harm.

Most feel that the shipboard dryers (typically by the vanity area vs in the bathroom) are pretty good. There are no diffusers or other attachments, however.

I would bring a couple of bottles of water and then refill them as needed from the ship's water. They don't want you putting your used water bottle up to the outlet (for example, in the buffet)...they ask you to use their water glasses..., so a wide mouthed bottle or a small funnel would be a good idea to bring.

But this cabin is one of the few that doesn't have a plus sign or a triangle on the deck plans, so we're hoping that it lacks the pull-down bed.

I would guess that it does not have the fold-down bunk OR NCL has messed up the deck plan.....your choice!!

Thank you for asking this... we are traveling in 2 rooms on the Pearl (I could not get adjoining), daughter and grandson in one room us the the other, and don't want grandson (5) going back and forth alone in the hallway...so we too were wondering the same thing could that barrier be removed so he could use the balcony for gramma access!!

I'm not so sure that i would be comfortable with a 5 year old being on the balcony alone. Also, if the partition is opened, there is no hardware to keep if from swinging as the ship rocks....could make a big "owie" if it slammed shut on your child.

Typically, yes. However, there have been a few posts here that say they want you to use theirs (from the reception desk). Bring one to meet your needs....high chance it will be OK. Probably a better chance if it is just a power strip (no surge protection). I have used a 3-way adapter (tap) with success, too.