tartan cruiser

Cruiser Who Knows, if you hear anything I'd appreciate a head up, too. We stayed in Boca this year for a week before our Getaway cruise. Nice area! Lucky you.

Thanks I'd appreciate that. Back in January I thought for sure our cruise would be chartered but as

April rolled around I thought we were safe as it was too late to make it a charter. I booked this cruise May 2016 and even made a hotel reservations before the cruise was pulled. I'm a planner so uncertainty is not my thing.

I agree these packages affect different people differently. I hate hauling soda onboard and I always buy the soda and more package and love all that is included especially the mocktails and juices. It is something I enjoy and indulge while cruising. My cruise isn't until 2/2018, on the Regal, and it does say initially they won't be available. How long will that be? 1 month, 6 months. Like I said if not resolved by final payment I will cancel. I also booked another cruise on another cruise line to be somewhat price protected and assured I will be cruising in February/2018.

Very seldom do I order from a waiter because I don't like to wait so I go to the bar myself anyway. Don't see the value of Ocean Medallion for me at this time. What has me puzzled is they say if you get the Sip n Sail promotion they will accommodate you but otherwise you'll be forced to pay as you go. Sounds like they want to make the Sip n Sail promotion more appealing. Hummmm

CruisinMaterial, thanks for your insight. I know the water policy is a money grab. On Princess and Carnival you can get 12 bottles for $6 vs what, about $40 on NCL. I guess we'll just have to wait and see but any way you look at it my cruise will be impacted. Either a full charter or a lot of groups to cause it to be sold out. If you happen to see anything re Holy Ship and past guests would you please come on this forum and let us know. I seach everyday to see if they have announced their dates but all I can find is unconfirmed dates and ship. Thanks

Yes, we were at one of the hotel they used this year for the 1/7/17 Epic charter. They did a b2b within the 7 day schedule, a 4 day and a 3 day. If they charter the ship they can do anything they want according to their contract. Also it was reported on 4/14/16 that the Holy Ship had chartered the Epic for 1/7/2017-1/14/2017 so that would be around the same time frame we are talking about now. As someone else said NCL won't admit to anything until they want to. Hope they let us know the truth soon. I really hate all the secrecy. All cruise line do it but it makes me feel like I'm a disposable customer. We don't need you anymore, we found people that will pay more. I've had this cruise booked for over a year. Very disappointing.

I tried NCL last year and it was much better than I expected. By the way you can get the drink package on NCL when you book an inside cabin. One choice for inside and two for oceanview and balcony. They also have a deal now $50 deposit and $100 OBC for balcony and above plus the 2 other perks. I still prefer Princess but the value is not there anymore and this new Medallion thing might be the final straw. Celebrity includes 2 perk choices also with oceanview and above. Prices comparable to Princess who has lesser perks.

Thanks for posting pictures. We love the rear cabins on Riviera deck for access to the rear pool and buffet. Are you still able to access the buffet through Planks or Steamers at night?

Have they also discontinued the theme nights in the buffet such as German night?

I agree, they better get this worked out. We sail 2/18/2018 Regal with final payment in November. If it's not worked out by then we will cancel. Might be a lot of great prices after final payment if others do the same. I'm not hauling soda onboard nor paying per can. Deal breaker!

Epic 1/6/2018 is now missing also. Hope it's not a charter.

Thanks for the information. I was reading a review by someone who just departed the Equinox on 4/2 and posted bar menus showing Stella at $7.5. That's a big increase! I guess the new changes will affected people differently. Now I understand, if it's on the premium list it is over $9 for a beer anyway.

I guess I'm not understanding how the changes work. On a recently posted bar menu Stella Artois is priced at $7.5. It is on the premium package. Has the price increased to over $9 or can you get it on your classic package since it is under $9? Are all the beer selections on the premium package all over $9?

I've been keeping an eye on this sailing since I heard it might be booked as a charter. We booked this cruise in May/2016. I felt we were now safe from cancellation since I didn't think NCL would cancel for a charter less than 9 months out. When I saw Jade was just recently cancelled for January/2018 charter it becomes more concerning to me. Prices and availability on other cruises are rising and we are limited to dates that work for us. Like I said we already have a 1/26/2018 cruise booked on Celebrity. I guess I should start looking at other options as a backup.

I googled "Holy Ship 2018 dates". The web site with the space lab in it's address is the one that lists the dates and ship.

This year stayed at hotel that hosted the Holy Ship charter that sailed on Epic. When we inquired if they would be back next year the hotel said yes as far as they knew they had rooms reserved for them for that date (1/5/2018) Looked at web site and one lists 1/5/2018 on the Epic as a date and ship although it's says dates ":unconfirmed". Hopefully this is just rumor. NCL is still selling this cruise so I assume nothing is finalized yet.

Personally I don't consider nine months in advance is that far out to start making plans. We have a cruise booked on the Celebrity Silhoutte for 1/26/2018 and everything but insides are sold out already and has been for a few months now. I'm concerned about rumor of the 1/6/2018 Epic being chartered also. Does anyone know what NCL does when they cancel your cruise besides refund your deposit?

We were on Epic a few years ago and can't remember if there is seating on deck 7 under the life boats. It shows a jogging track and deck games and I seem to remember a few deck chairs too. Can anyone confirm this. We LOVE the waterfront on the Away ships and Escape and know Epic doesn't have a waterfront but was hoping they had a few chair on deck 7. Thanks

I have contacted NCL and they said they are aware of the problem. Do you think contacting Andy Stuart's office would help? The problem is the elevators and stairs empty right into the line to disembark. They totally abandon the color system and let anyone disembark at any time. It's total chaos. Have sailed Princess (3500 passengers) and Celebrity( 2800 passengers) in February. Self disembark was cleared before any colors were allowed to disembark .Also had waiting areas. Ran as smooth as could be. Yes Getaway is a big ship but with a little organization from the top it wouldn't have to be this bad. Seems no one in management cares since this has been a constant issue. We had a good time on Getaway but the final impression of disembarking is what sticks most in my mind.

We were on the Getaway 1/15 - 1/22 2017 and it was the worst disembarkation ever. I would have thought by now NCL would have addressed this issue. It's a NCL problem. I thought for sure a few fights were going to break out. A lot of stressed out people worrying about missing their flight and not one officer or authority person around. The topper was the cruise director and other officers on the gangway with big smiles on their faces seemingly oblivious to the LONG lines of passenger trying to disembark. I'm trying to plan a family cruise on the Getaway but will not book until I know they have fixed this issue. Won't go through that again. It was that bad.

They have Blue Moon beer listed on premium package also. Can't believe it's now over $9. Wonder how much they charge for Baileys if it's on the premium list and over $9? It'll be interesting to see how it all plays out.

We used Bonaire Vista Tours. They were great. I think it was $35 for a 3 1/2 hour tour. We pre-booked but I think they also have a booth at the end of the pier to fill tours that are not sold out. If you want a snorkel tour Woodwinds is excellent but sells out months in advance.

That's what I suspected but I've never checked the wording since it never effected us. Thanks for the heads up regarding the UBP. Personally I wouldn't feel it's cheating if one of the others would occasionally get a mocktail for her if she wanted one. JMHO. Who knows what their choice would be anyway.

Thanks so much for your post and directions. You are exactly right about the port people. Those were the exact responses we received when we inquired about Vigi beach the last time we were in St. Lucia. After talking to a few people at the port were decided to go back to the ship. We didn't think we could find it on our own and read that even taxi drivers dropped people at the wrong spot. I'm going to print out your instructions for our next trip. Thanks again.

I think uneamie has the best idea. Sit down and order your food. After you're served discreetly pick up the paper liner holding the wings and put it into the container. Put it back in your bag and walk away. It will look like you just finished your food. If you don't ask they can't say no. Service is usually not that good in O'Sheehans that they'll even notice. Good luck.

Might also want to consider the family oceanviews on deck 5. These rooms are good sized especially the bathroom. Tub with glass doors and two sinks. Still only one bath though. I think oceanview gets 2 perks also but only for guests 1 and 2. My son had one of these rooms for the 4 of them. At the time he booked kids sail free was one of the options. Not all cruises have this as a promo. These rooms seemed bigger than the balconies. If kids sail free is not an option on your cruise I think I would consider 2 insides. Would give everyone a little more space and privacy. As someone else mentioned, check the prices for all options. Also if you booked 2 insides your mom and dad and 21 year old sister could all get the UBP if that was important to them. I wonder if they would give your underage sister the other UBP for soft drinks and mocktails.