KeithJenner

We sailed with our teenage son for many years and were always able to buy the dining package for him. I’m not sure why your daughter isn’t showing as an option for purchasing. If you don’t want to phone now then you can always wait until you board to get her the package. Waiting does run the risk of the price increasing though.

If it says 120 days for entertainment then yes, that is incorrect information. Until recently you couldn’t prebook entertainment at all. They are reintroducing it again now, but currently they are as mentioned above.

You can attend the solo gatherings regardless of the type of cabin you are in. I think they often hold them outside of the studio lounge these days, but even if it is held there then they prop the door open for others to attend.

Yes, hallux is correct. I am able to make reservations 125 days out due to latitudes status, but the system always quotes the date 120 days out. Things always open at 125 days for us. I’ve not stayed in a club suite but I understand that to be the same. Ocean Blue is covered. Whilst it isn’t mentioned by name, it is covered by “seafood” in the dining package details, the same way that “Italian” means both La Cucina and Onda without those restaurants being named. IN WHICH VENUES WILL MY SPECIALTY DINING PACKAGE BE HONORED? Specialty Dining Packages are honored in the following restaurants: American Diner, Cagney’s Steakhouse, Food Republic, Italian, Le Bistro, Los Lobos, Moderno Churrascaria, Pincho Tapas Bar, Q Texas Smokehouse, Raw Bar, Seafood, Sushi and Teppanyaki.

Just to answer your other points. You can cancel individual reservations up to 24 hours beforehand. Officially there is a charge for no shows, but it isn’t really enforceable in a la carte places, and I’m not aware of anyone being charged. It’s good manners to cancel though if you aren’t attending. Ive never cancelled a dining package, but most add ons are cancellable up to a short time before embarkation (with refund to credit card). Cancelling onboard would be harder, if it is even possible.

I don’t think the price limit was ever actually enforced. It has gone now anyway. The latitudes meals are now effectively the same as dining package credits. There is still some confusion over exactly what is covered with the package (apps, salads, sides etc) and I’ve seen reports of people being allowed different quantities, but I suspect that was confusion by the staff over what was covered rather than a difference in packages. Many of us (me included) plan on using them at fixed price places if we are going to them to avoid any additional confusion.

Anyone can make dining reservations, regardless of whether you have a package or not. The only difference that having a package makes is that if you don’t have it then you would have to pay up front for the fixed price places (Moderno and Teppanyaki). This would be refunded on board if you use a dining credit, but is best avoided. In your situation, as you have two free at sea meals you can book those two first anyway, so no need to pay up front. The only real risk of not buying the package now is that prices can go up at any time, and without warning.

I think this is referring to the snacks (stuff like chocolate covered strawberries or canapés) which will be delivered to your room a couple of times. I don’t know whether you have any say in what you would receive and when. We tend to get them a few times anyway, for various reasons, and they are quite nice but not something I would miss if they didn’t come.

The platinum benefit now includes all restaurants.

That will almost certainly be the case for you. It is extremely rare for you to have to leave the ship in Europe. The most likely thing to vary would be muster. I’ve had back to back cruises where we didn’t even need to attend and others where we had to sit through the whole thing (4 muster drills in 5 days once).

They will almost certainly have to clear the ship in that case. I believe that is the standard for a US port. There will probably be an area you can wait and then reboard fairly quickly.

It very much depends on the port, as some require the ship to be cleared, whereas others will let you stay onboard. It will also depend on the ship/staff, as some senior crew members will have their preferences as to how they do it.

I assume that you can’t book them now because all the reservations available for pre booking have been taken? Otherwise you can just book them online as normal. If you are booking onboard then you have a few options. You can go to the restaurant reservations desk. The location of this on embarkation day varies as they often have a temporary setup in a restaurant on that day. The location will be advertised. Or you can book onboard using the app and (dependent on the ship) you may be able to use the touchscreens or your room TV. Basically, you just book them as you would any other restaurant reservation.

I have done two transatlantics, one was 7 days and the other 10 days. Neither included any port days at all. Plenty to do. I loved them.

What are your ports? Most ports in Greece/Croatia are ones you dock at, but some can vary based on how many ships are in port. My guess is that your 6 tender ports include some where you may tender but probably won’t.

I don’t particularly like crowds, but rarely have trouble finding quieter places even on the newer ships. I often read comments about crowds and queueing on ships that I have been on, and didn’t have those issues myself. I don’t particularly try to avoid the crowds, I think that we just naturally end up where the crowds aren’t. For example, we rarely spend any time at the pool deck and will often be found in a quiet bar whilst everyone else is complaining about not being able to get a drink at the pool bar. We usually get a balcony room, with a decent sized balcony so that we can relax there is we want to sit outside (and the Waterfront can be fairly quiet as mentioned earlier). Occasionally you do need to join the crowds (we quite like o’Sheehans for lunch which will be busy), but if you eat outside of peak times then that will be better. There are a lot of people onboard, but there is also a lot of room. About 75% of people will be squeezed into about 25% of the space, leaving loads of room for the rest of us.

Escape, without a question for me.

The only gratuity that you will pay on drinks will be if you buy anything that isn't included in free at sea. For example, if you buy bottled water then you will pay the price of that plus 20% gratuity. If you buy a drink at more than $15 then you will pay the excess over $15 along with 20% of that excess. Basically, whereas people in the US pay the gratuity on the value of the package when booking, we pay the free at sea fee. It is a relatively similar value.

You can come and go as you want throughout the stay. Many people leave very early in the morning for things like viewing the sunrise. Just walk off when you want.

Just as an indication, we are booked on the Viva in April 2024 and there are currently 8 shore excursions listed for our 10 day cruise. Our September 2023 cruise has 117 excursions listed (also 19 days).

Southampton is mainly domestic (I believe that it has a few very short haul flights to places like Ireland or France). NCL won’t fly you in to Southampton. Gatwick is a possibility, but it is most likely to be Heathrow.

Yes, Spirit has a very nice promenade deck. It is quite wide but like many it is very narrow and enclosed at the front.

I’ve used the waterfront to walk many times, usually doing a few miles every morning. I cut across as you suggested, but the alternative is to just turn back the way you came. Personally, I prefer it to the promenade deck on older ships as it is more open. It can get busier though, which is why I walk early.

In some ports.

Not sure exactly what you are asking. Free at sea is a marketing term, no more than that. If you are asking whether it only applies when the ship is actually at sea then no, it applies for the whole cruise, from embarkation to disembarkation.