ahamill

Another vote for Romeinlimo!

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We just returned from The Epic and were in 10325, an aft H6. Although you are not right near The Haven, we found that it was not an issue at all. Our pattern was getting up, taking the elevator up to deck 15, walking through the pool deck and taking the private elevator up to The Haven. It probably took, at most, 5 minutes.

There were several kids on our cruise in The Haven. The pool is small and, if I were a kid, I would have much rather been near the slides but it was fine.

The Haven restaurant was a nice way to start off the day for breakfast and a great option for dinner as well.

Being aft, we got some nice fees in port but, beware, we felt it when we were docking. There were mornings when we were shaking in bed. Mint was fine but might annoy others.

It was a great trip and we loved our room choice and The Haven.

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Does anyone have a copy of the menu? What night, or nights, is it held. We are on a 7-day Mediterranean and ai probably wouldn't want to do it after a long day in port eating and drinking wine! :)

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Hi! We are on the Epic next month and I was wondering if the have a Chef's Table? We did the Chef's Table on Oasis of the Seas and it was fabulous.

Thanks!

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Well first you didn't come back until now. Second you started your post "I had a feeling this would happen" so I am assuming you mean that they would change promos but it could be construed that you feel that NCL would be of no help to you. This comes across again the statement "...and of course no luck." You are not stating whether you are inside the final payment window or not so it appears that NCL won't work with their customers. If it is inside the final payment window it is doubtful any cruise line will make changes to promos.

 

While your post could be entirely innocent it could also be viewed as NCL was unhelpful, uncooperative and since you had a feeling this would happen that they have not helped you before this event.

 

If you have been misjudged, my sincere apologies. I do think there are some on these boards with ulterior motives though.

Yeah, you mis-read and mis-judged, no worries though. I said I knew this would happen, basically pointing out my bad luck. I Have never dealt with Norwegian before booking this cruise. They are simply following their policies and I respect that.

We are within the final payment and I am not a seasoned enough cruiser to know all the details and policies. Now, I am in the know!

It is what it is, we are still as excited as ever and it will be great! No fault to NCL at all and I apologize if it came across that way.

Oh, and the reason I have been off the thread......I have two kids, ages 2 and 5 and it has been raining all week. I've been busy entertaining the little people and have had no time to myself!:mad: That's what the cruise is for.........and, why I need the UBP!:D

Sorry I was talking about the OP. They share negativity, get it wrong and then don't come back to the post.

How did I share negativity? I am upset that I didn't get the new promo, it's not negative, it's a natural reaction called disappointment, it's no fault to NCL at all.

What did I get wrong?

I was just looking to see if others have had experiences with being able to switch promos, that's all.

If I can switch, great! If not, I know I will still have a great cruise.

I had a feeling this would happen. We booked last week, got the last aft-facing balcony in The Haven and got the perks that they were offering at the time, $300 on board credit, $75 specialty dining per person, $75 per stateroom per port for shor excursion and 250 minutes of Internet.

We enjoy our cocktails and are planning on buying the UBP but today they came out with the new promos and, of course, the UBP is on it.

I called and tried to get th new promos and, of course, no luck. Does anyone have any tips with changing promos, is there any way around it?

We can't cancel and rebook, the stateroom is not available.

So bummed, this would have been a big savings!

We decided to bite the bullet and book it! Woohoo! I am so excited, sailing in 46 days!

We are looking to sail in the Epic in July and want to be in The Haven. What's the difference between an aft facing Penthouse H6 and The Haven spa suite H9? I know the spa suite gives you access to the spa but that is not really that important to us. The price difference is about $400 per person so I wanted to see what the difference was? Is there anything besides the spa perks?

Thanks!

We are looking at booking a Mediterranean Cruise on the Epic in July and are looking at either a mini-suite or the penthouse suite in The Haven. Obviously, the price difference is significance ($2500'ish for the mini-suite and $5000 for The Haven). We are celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary and my 40th birthday and we want a special trip but I need to know that it is worth it.

I was hoping that the beverage package was part of the bonuses (you know, book a Haven suite and get all 3 perks) but it looks like it's just OBC, shore excursion and internet. We enjoy our cocktails so the drink package might have made it seem like a no-brainer.

Thoughts? Experiences?

Many thanks!

Reservations for Chef's Table are made (and prepaid) like all other specialty restaurants. We made ours a couple weeks ago.

We did not prepay for the Chef's Table. It was added to our seapass account, along with the tip that we added at the end of the dinner. Maybe that has changed since I think, now, you can book online?

Reservations for Chef's Table are made (and prepaid) like all other specialty restaurants. We made ours a couple weeks ago.

We did not prepay for the Chef's Table. It was added to our seapass account, along with the tip that we added at the end of the dinner. Maybe that has changed since I think, now, you can book online?

We are sailing on the Oasis in October. It is my understanding there is a Chef's Table. Could you book that in advance before sailing and do you know how far out you can reserve this? Also, did they offer more than one sitting?

We booked it about a month earlier and we e-mailed chefstable@rccl.com. We got an answer back in a couple of days. Based on the cruise compass, it looks like they have the chef's table every night. When we went there were 12 of us. It was wonderful and we would do it again if we go back.

We are sailing on the Oasis in October. It is my understanding there is a Chef's Table. Could you book that in advance before sailing and do you know how far out you can reserve this? Also, did they offer more than one sitting?

We booked it about a month earlier and we e-mailed chefstable@rccl.com. We got an answer back in a couple of days. Based on the cruise compass, it looks like they have the chef's table every night. When we went there were 12 of us. It was wonderful and we would do it again if we go back.

Part 6: Chef's Table

 

We spent the rest of the day relaxing. Chef’s Table wasn’t until 7:30, but we were pretty much ready by 7 PM. We walked over to the Library at around 7:10 after starring at each other, trying to figure out how to waste some time. For the Chef’s Table you first meet in the Library and the Concierge takes you into the Concierge Lounge after all have arrived. When we got to the Library there was one family already there. The adult daughter said ‘hello’ and her parents ignored us. They were speaking to each other in a foreign language, French I believe. Others showed up and the Concierge said we were still missing a family of 6. It was 7:30, so he took us into the lounge and then upstairs to the Chef’s Table. Thankfully, the French family was at the other end of the table. The family of 6 sat at the opposite side from me and I had a very nice conversation with the father who was around my age. He was one of the people we introduced the BBC to at the Solarium Bar.

 

When you first come in you mingle near the table, looking out at the spectacular view of the Boardwalk from the picture window on the other side of the room. Soon everyone finds their seats and the dinner begins. It is difficult to tell you all the details of the food. The Chef, Sous Chef Maarten Smeets, tells you every detail of every dish. This includes the time he starts to prep the dishes and every single ingredient he uses and how he prepared each ingredient. I’ll share with you as much as I remember.

 

Smoked Duck Salad

 

The Smoked Duck Salad was served with orange confit, baby lettuce, green asparagus, and zesty Cointreau dressing and accompanied with Mer Soleil Chardonnay. The Chef described the confit with amazing detail. He described how he baked it and what kind of salt he used on it and how he sprinkled it in specific places for the taste and texture. He described why he used green asparagus versus white asparagus and told us that white is underground while green is over ground. He was VERY detailed. The duck was delicious and the confit did add the taste and texture the Chef was looking for. The Chardonnay was fine, if not slightly disappointing. I found the taste to be a little dull. There was nothing wrong with it, just not as lively as I had hoped it would be.

 

Trio of Soups (sorry it's a little blurry)

 

The Trio of soups were sweet garden pea veloute, duck and vegetable consommé and truffle scented mushroom cream. The pea soup was delicious! The pea flavor just explodes in your mouth! I’m not sure if you can tell, but the color is such a beautiful green. And the Chef describes all he did to keep that color, from blanching to a little lemon juice. The consommé was downplayed by the Chef. He said that this was more of a palate cleanser than anything else. It included vegetables in the tiniest dice I had ever seen. The Chef told us what that dice is called, but I forgot. Perhaps the chef on the thread here can tell us? It was fantastic! And I told him that he shouldn’t downplay it so much. It stands on its own. However, the last soup was the one that took everyone’s breath away. The richness of the truffle was superb! The mushroom flavor was AMAZING! And the presentation? 5 perfect dots of truffle oil sitting on the top in a pentagram. It might be hard to see that in the picture (I think you can see it). I was the last one done with my soups. I was savoring them. They come in small cups that you pick up and sip. No additional wine is served with this course, but the Chardonnay continues to flow. Russell, the waiter/host, makes sure to keep pouring so the temperature of the wine doesn’t fall too far.

 

Pan-fried Scallops and Crab Cake

 

I have to say, this was my least memorable course. Pan-fried Scallops and Crab Cake with lobster-flavored tartar sauce, cilantro oil and balsamic drizzle. You can see the three sauces covering the plate. The tartar sauce was good, the balsamic drizzle was tasty, but I couldn’t make out the cilantro in the oil at all. The scallops were delicious, perfectly cooked and the crab cake was nice. It was served with a Belle Glos Pinot Noir. I remember discussing with Brian across the table with me how we both often drink red wine with seafood. The wine was very nice.

 

Grilled Beef Tenderloin

 

Grilled Beef Tenderloin with whipped potatoes, wilted spinach, tomato onion jam and aged port win veal reduction. WOW! Just WOW! Everyone at the table just LOVED this dish. The jam was amazing! I dislike ketchup. If ketchup tasted like this I would eat it all the time. The reduction was fabulous and the potatoes and spinach were perfect. Everyone’s beef was cooked to order. They suggested Medium Rare, but they would cook it differently if requested. The Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon was bold and held up to the meat perfectly. So delicious!

 

Passion Fruit Crème Brulee

 

I enjoyed the dessert, but not everyone did. Passion Fruit Crème Brulee with crisp caramelized sugar tuille and strawberry ice-win jus. The caramelized sugar was thick, very thick. It was hard to break it was so thick. I ate it all anyway. J The custard underneath was very tasty. It didn’t have a strong flavor of the passion fruit, but it was very nice. It was served with Errazuriz, Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc. Most at the table agreed that the wine did not pair will with the dessert. I think the problem is that I think there are only two bottles of dessert wine on the ship and this is the better one. I had this bottle at Giovanni’s and enjoyed it very much. I agree that it did not pair all that well, but drinking the wine on its own was just fine and a perfect ending to a fantastic meal.

 

At the end the Chef came back out and socialized with us all. He was sooo amazingly friendly. I told him I was sorry about his team’s loss in the World Cup the day before, yes he’s from the Netherlands. He joked that it was convenient that I mentioned that after the meal was over. I said that I really was sorry and I was rooting for them from the start. We had a nice conversation about the tournament.

 

Sous Chef Maarten Smeets from Netherlands.

 

Next : Part 7: Johnny Rockets, Solarium and Vintages

Just a little update on the Chef's Table. DH and I just got off the 3/26 sailing and did the Chef's Table which was wonderful however the menu was different, which was a little disappointing to me. It was still great, but different. When I find my menu under all my suitcases, I will post the details but a quick summary is:

Chilled Lobster over a citrus slaw with crab meat

Trio of soups (the only same menu item)

Duck spring roll

Lamb over a potato risotto

Trio of apple items-tart, colavados (sp?) flavored creme, green apple gelato

Again, I will post the details as well as the wine pairings when I uncover the mysteries of my luggage!

Part 6: Chef's Table

 

We spent the rest of the day relaxing. Chef’s Table wasn’t until 7:30, but we were pretty much ready by 7 PM. We walked over to the Library at around 7:10 after starring at each other, trying to figure out how to waste some time. For the Chef’s Table you first meet in the Library and the Concierge takes you into the Concierge Lounge after all have arrived. When we got to the Library there was one family already there. The adult daughter said ‘hello’ and her parents ignored us. They were speaking to each other in a foreign language, French I believe. Others showed up and the Concierge said we were still missing a family of 6. It was 7:30, so he took us into the lounge and then upstairs to the Chef’s Table. Thankfully, the French family was at the other end of the table. The family of 6 sat at the opposite side from me and I had a very nice conversation with the father who was around my age. He was one of the people we introduced the BBC to at the Solarium Bar.

 

When you first come in you mingle near the table, looking out at the spectacular view of the Boardwalk from the picture window on the other side of the room. Soon everyone finds their seats and the dinner begins. It is difficult to tell you all the details of the food. The Chef, Sous Chef Maarten Smeets, tells you every detail of every dish. This includes the time he starts to prep the dishes and every single ingredient he uses and how he prepared each ingredient. I’ll share with you as much as I remember.

 

Smoked Duck Salad

 

The Smoked Duck Salad was served with orange confit, baby lettuce, green asparagus, and zesty Cointreau dressing and accompanied with Mer Soleil Chardonnay. The Chef described the confit with amazing detail. He described how he baked it and what kind of salt he used on it and how he sprinkled it in specific places for the taste and texture. He described why he used green asparagus versus white asparagus and told us that white is underground while green is over ground. He was VERY detailed. The duck was delicious and the confit did add the taste and texture the Chef was looking for. The Chardonnay was fine, if not slightly disappointing. I found the taste to be a little dull. There was nothing wrong with it, just not as lively as I had hoped it would be.

 

Trio of Soups (sorry it's a little blurry)

 

The Trio of soups were sweet garden pea veloute, duck and vegetable consommé and truffle scented mushroom cream. The pea soup was delicious! The pea flavor just explodes in your mouth! I’m not sure if you can tell, but the color is such a beautiful green. And the Chef describes all he did to keep that color, from blanching to a little lemon juice. The consommé was downplayed by the Chef. He said that this was more of a palate cleanser than anything else. It included vegetables in the tiniest dice I had ever seen. The Chef told us what that dice is called, but I forgot. Perhaps the chef on the thread here can tell us? It was fantastic! And I told him that he shouldn’t downplay it so much. It stands on its own. However, the last soup was the one that took everyone’s breath away. The richness of the truffle was superb! The mushroom flavor was AMAZING! And the presentation? 5 perfect dots of truffle oil sitting on the top in a pentagram. It might be hard to see that in the picture (I think you can see it). I was the last one done with my soups. I was savoring them. They come in small cups that you pick up and sip. No additional wine is served with this course, but the Chardonnay continues to flow. Russell, the waiter/host, makes sure to keep pouring so the temperature of the wine doesn’t fall too far.

 

Pan-fried Scallops and Crab Cake

 

I have to say, this was my least memorable course. Pan-fried Scallops and Crab Cake with lobster-flavored tartar sauce, cilantro oil and balsamic drizzle. You can see the three sauces covering the plate. The tartar sauce was good, the balsamic drizzle was tasty, but I couldn’t make out the cilantro in the oil at all. The scallops were delicious, perfectly cooked and the crab cake was nice. It was served with a Belle Glos Pinot Noir. I remember discussing with Brian across the table with me how we both often drink red wine with seafood. The wine was very nice.

 

Grilled Beef Tenderloin

 

Grilled Beef Tenderloin with whipped potatoes, wilted spinach, tomato onion jam and aged port win veal reduction. WOW! Just WOW! Everyone at the table just LOVED this dish. The jam was amazing! I dislike ketchup. If ketchup tasted like this I would eat it all the time. The reduction was fabulous and the potatoes and spinach were perfect. Everyone’s beef was cooked to order. They suggested Medium Rare, but they would cook it differently if requested. The Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon was bold and held up to the meat perfectly. So delicious!

 

Passion Fruit Crème Brulee

 

I enjoyed the dessert, but not everyone did. Passion Fruit Crème Brulee with crisp caramelized sugar tuille and strawberry ice-win jus. The caramelized sugar was thick, very thick. It was hard to break it was so thick. I ate it all anyway. J The custard underneath was very tasty. It didn’t have a strong flavor of the passion fruit, but it was very nice. It was served with Errazuriz, Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc. Most at the table agreed that the wine did not pair will with the dessert. I think the problem is that I think there are only two bottles of dessert wine on the ship and this is the better one. I had this bottle at Giovanni’s and enjoyed it very much. I agree that it did not pair all that well, but drinking the wine on its own was just fine and a perfect ending to a fantastic meal.

 

At the end the Chef came back out and socialized with us all. He was sooo amazingly friendly. I told him I was sorry about his team’s loss in the World Cup the day before, yes he’s from the Netherlands. He joked that it was convenient that I mentioned that after the meal was over. I said that I really was sorry and I was rooting for them from the start. We had a nice conversation about the tournament.

 

Sous Chef Maarten Smeets from Netherlands.

 

Next : Part 7: Johnny Rockets, Solarium and Vintages

Just a little update on the Chef's Table. DH and I just got off the 3/26 sailing and did the Chef's Table which was wonderful however the menu was different, which was a little disappointing to me. It was still great, but different. When I find my menu under all my suitcases, I will post the details but a quick summary is:

Chilled Lobster over a citrus slaw with crab meat

Trio of soups (the only same menu item)

Duck spring roll

Lamb over a potato risotto

Trio of apple items-tart, colavados (sp?) flavored creme, green apple gelato

Again, I will post the details as well as the wine pairings when I uncover the mysteries of my luggage!

We got off Oasis this morning with our 17 month old and I can not say enough FABULOUS things about the Royal Babies and Tots Nursery. We went there almost immediately on the first day as I was all worried about being able to book time. You register your child and then they give you a cute little bag with his name on it and a cell phone that you keep for the whole cruise so they can reach you. The nice thing about the phones, too, is that they can be used to call or receive calls anywhere on the ship. So, say you are at the pool with the phone and your husband is in the room, you can call him from the pool or vice versa.

They only allow you to book 20 hours on the first day but by the end of the second day, they open up more hours. (It all depends on how many Babies and Tots are on the cruise and who uses the service). We never had a problem booking time, they could not have been more flexible.

They will feed lunch or dinner that they provide (of course, they ask you if it is ok and the registration from covers any likes/dislikes and allergies) and they also provide crackers, fruit, water and juice for snacks. We always packed some of his snacks that we brought onboard in his bag. They play, watch movies, color, go on walks, etc., etc. They change diapers when necessary and will put them in pj's and down to bed for the night. They have a separate sectioned off room that they have cribs in and the whole place was always dimmed when we went to pick him up at night.

Fabulous people that worked in there, can't say enough. If we cruise again with our little guy before he is 3, we will only do Oasis/Allure or Disney as I have heard they have something similar.

Oh, and there is a baby splash zone by the kids pool that they can go in with diapers.