Granny DI

We took a cruise in 2014 which terminated in Istanbul. I was concerned about the itineray being changed because a previous cruise itinerary in the early 2000's was changed due to a terrorist attack in Turkey. I was able to buy airline insurance that enabled me to cancel/change for any reason. Luckily I didn't have to use the insurance. This info won't help those of you that just had Istanbul cancelled but it might help those of you booking future cruises.

I've owned NCLH stock off and on for several years. We always get our $100 OBC with AARP etc. I mainly trade the stock...never hold it very long and buy when it's in the 40's...$43 has always worked out good for me. I also buy and sell options on the stock. It's been a money maker for me. It's getting close to my buy price but worried about Brexit effect on the stock market so will wait until after the vote in Britain.

We flew out of Istanbul. We had a 6:00 AM flight and arrived at 3:00 AM. We probably could have arrived at 3:30 AM and been OK. There are 3 layers of security at IST so we were not the first in line at the first class counter. We had no problems at the airport.

I would not travel to Turkey at this time. We had 3 different guides during our stay...all had a similar story to tell us. We wished we had visited Turkey before all the insanity began. It is a beautiful and exotic city.

We've sailed in 12304 for the last 3 years. Sailing again soon in 12304. We prefer the aft penthouses because they are bigger. The walk to the Haven is good for us. YouTube has a video of the cabin.

We sail on the Breakaway every May to Bermuda. We always reserve the same aft Haven suite. We book it one year in advance. I went to book it for May 2017 several months ago. The price had increased $1200 pp. We are passing for 2017.

I book our cabin 12 to 14 months in advance. I always select the cheapest week in May. It varies from year to year. This year's fare includes drink package, specialty restaurants, 300 OBC and 250 minutes of Internet. The goodies change from month to month. Suites get all goodies offered on a particular sailing.

I did cancel my JAN cruise on RCL today. Loved the itinerary but felt the value wasn't there.

We used to sail RCL all the time but we've been priced out of their suite market. Our favorite ship is the NCL Breakaway. We always sail in a Haven Aft Penthouse suite to Bermuda from NYC in the spring. We are sailing on her again next month. I'm going to cancel a RCL cruise for JAN because I can't justify paying $1000 more pp for a junior suite on RCL than in an aft penthouse suite on NCL. There is nothing like the Haven on any other line. Our last cruise on RCL was on the Oasis....it was OK for one time. Our favorite class of RCL Ship is the Explorer Class. We always enjoy sailing RCL but the suite price increases have sent us to other cruise lines. Hoping some new 2018 itineraries come out tomorrow.

BTW the Haven aft suites on the Breakaway for our cruise next month have been sold out for months.

We just got off the SF to HNL POA cruise. We debated for months whether to get off the ship in Kauai since we are spending a week in Kauai post cruise. In the end only our luggage departed the ship in Kauai. We took our luggage to our post cruise hotel to be stored until our arrival. We enjoyed another night in our suite, dinner at Jefferson's Bistrol, the Napoli Coast and the Arizona Memorial in HNL. I purchased plane tickets with points so we could make a last minute decision. It's important to let the ship know if you decide to leave the ship in Kauai.

We did this cruise in 2005. We were also in a suite. My personal opinion is that the problems are caused by the contractors. They didn't finish the job on time so NCL is taking the blame. Most passengers are just shrugging off the minor problems. Wait staff is excellent and the kitchen is getting faster. The contractors came in and tore the place apart so the staff is having problems getting things to work again. I think the crew is doing the best they can under the circumstances.

Our unlimited wifi is for one device at a time.

There is no presser for the ship. Our friends ask their butler to have a few items to be pressed. He returned the items with an ironing board and iron. Lots of construction going on but not noisy...just lots of areas roped off. The walking area on deck 6 is being used as a store room at one end. There are lots of crew members looking for things to do. Kitchen staff is slow and bet the contractors are impeding other staff members. Have no idea when the spa will reopen...I miss that the most. Glad this was a cheap cruise.

We're in a SE port side. It's like the drawings on the NCL home page. We love it up here! Wouldn't consider a suite on any deck but 13 because they are updated like the new ships.

NO. Other suites got new carpeting but same old bath with bath/shower combo. Suites on deck 13 have separate showers and tubs.nothing has changed on deck 13.

I'm also on the POA now. We have unlimited internet...only way to go. We are in a suite on deck 13 and have an amazing butler and concierge. We're trying a different venue every night for dinner. Best has been the Jefferson Bistro. We have breakfast and lunch at Cagneys. We tried Cadillac Grill today...an hour wait for a tuna sandwich. Service is slow everywhere so just bring your patience and all we will be good.

"Wow What A Night Tribute" was excellent.

We faxed ours last week. Took about 12 hours to get email confirmation. Check your reservation to see if it's been posted.

We are Diamond on RCL. The Adventure of the Seas is the only ship we will not do another sailing. We were upgraded to an Owners Suite so we're very excited for the cruise. We had a big problem with the cabin steward the first night. The hotel manager etc became involved. Nothing was done. This was just the beginning of our problems. This is the only cruise in 30 we ever complained to the hotel manager about anything!

There was a post on cc about the same cabin steward several months later. AOS has a management problem.

We've had a wonderful time on our other RCL cruises.

We'll be on the Seranade next year.

I've had my hair cut and colored on board ships for 18 years. My best haircuts have been on the ships. They are also cheaper than my local stylists. Some are better than others but all have been better than my local stylists. I've yet to find a local stylists that I've liked after 3 visits.

My hair is shoulder length and I highlight my hair. I might feel differently if I had shorter hair.

I have the last junior suite on hold. Never booked that category before...inside, balcony, and a Grand Suite. This is a year out!

Does anyone know why there are no suites available for any of the sailings in Jan,Feb, and March 2017 for the Southern Caribbean itinerary?

We love the Haven because of the quiet...but know right outside the doors is a wild and fun place. We've sailed on the upscale lines and decided they weren't for us...too quiet and stuffy.

We do the same cruise every May...Breakaway, NYC to Bermuda, iin an aft penthouse. I book the Cabin more than a year in advance( depends on the goodies being offered) and use our AARP discount.

BtW we drive a 9 year old Toyota with a 100k+ miles.

We visited Turkey and Istanbul in 2014 via cruise ship. We had 3 guides...a Turkish female, an Egytian female who was working in Turkey because of the mess in Egypt, and a Kurdish male. I knew by the end of our cruise/ land tours things were not going to improve in this part of the world. We had tried to visit Istanbul several times in the last 15 years but the cruise lines kept yanking it off the itinerary due to terrorism.....this is not a new problem.

My DH and I love the Haven. We are sailing for the 3rd time in the same aft penthouse suite on the BA. We've sailed in Celebrity's Royal Suite, RCCl's owner and grand suites, Azamara Suites and the Neptune Suites on HAL. DH prefers the Haven over all the others. The Haven is always cheaper than the others. DH would rather sail once a year in the Haven than twice in a balcony. I book at least a year in advance to save the most money. The Haven is just the right fit for us.

When we are sailing with children and grandchildren we sail in connecting ocean views if possible....we need bathrooms more than space. Last family cruise was on the Oasis...4 adults, 3 kids and 3 Central Park view cabins.....it was perfect.

Google Breakaway H7. It has reviews by deck. I think you'll like the reviews on deck 9.

We are booked on our third BA cruise to Bermuda. We always book the same Haven aft suite about a year in advance. We prefer to sail in May. This cruise will be the cheapest of the three BA cruises because of all the goodies thrown in. We have yet to eat in the MDR as we love the specialty restaurants. This will be our 5th cruise to Bermuda....NCL Crown in 1998, Celebrity Summitt and 3 times on the BA. We love Bermuda and are golf people not water people. We have sailed to Bermuda in April, May and September. May is our favorite time to sail. We love this cruise...don't know if it's the ship, suite or Bermuda...whatever it works for us!

Samething happened to me after I "dinged" out of the Breakaway in NYC. I noticed the missing wallet within minutes. Retraced my steps back onto the ship...nobody cared two cents. When I realized no one was going to help I used my cell phone to cancel my credit cards etc. everything was cancelled within 10 minutes. From now on my cc go in my carry on luggage. The biggest hassle was replacing my drivers license as I wasn't going to be in my home state for months!