Jana60

Ok, that's everything! Let me know if you have any questions!

My sister and I went to Bermuda on NCL Dawn July 2017. It was beautiful!

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TA assigned us Breakaway cabin 12808. Before we give payment, does anyone know pros or cons for that room?

I don’t know specifics about this cabin but looking at the deck plans it appears that this cabin is connected by a door with cabin 12810 and I make it a point to never stay in a connecting cabin unless the people on the other side of that door are family members because sound carries really well through a door and a person can tell their own kids to shut up but you can’t say that to other people!

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Sail Away and GTY are definitely eligible. I booked a GTY interior (IC) on the Gem for a sailing in June and was upgraded to a balcony through the Upgrade Advantage program.

A person can pay full price for a cabin, even a haven cabin and still receive a guarantee category if there are few rooms available. With a guarantee you’re guaranteed at least the Room category you paid for but could conceivably be upgraded to a better room. I initially received a balcony guarantee and when I called and spoke to the accessibility desk explaining that I am mobility impaired and need a wheelchair accessible cabin the man in charge was able to find me an accessible cabin. I then received offer to participate in the bidding for a mini suite or Haven Cabin but I would never try to bid because I would run the risk of losing my accessible cabin and end up assigned to a room that I don’t physically have the ability to enter with my scooter! So I am going to happily stay with my accessible balcony cabin and I’m thrilled to get it!

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To be clear, I don’t mind her having a couple hundred dollars to spend. I just know she could easily blow through $300 in 5 days in ice cream ( saw this firsthand at gymnastics camp). She also tends to be generous. She has been known to give kids money for lunch at school.

 

I was looking for a way to limit her spending but still allow her to spend.

 

 

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You said she’s tends to be really good with managing her own money but simply poor with managing yours. Why don’t you give her an amount into her account that you definitely want to give her as a gift. If she spends it all during the cruise that’s fine and it’s gone but if she doesn’t spend all of it she gets the balance in cash. A person is going to learn to budget money much more rapidly if they are rewarded for their good financial habits.

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The Haven sundeck has about 25 loungers. There's no way near enough seating for the amount of Haven guests wanting them. It turns into a chair hog situation. Then to think if you'll be lucky enough to snag one in the shade, the chances are really gonna be slim. If you can, I'd get the Vibe passes. They will have umbrellas, a bar, plenty of loungers you can come and go as you want.

If there are no hot tubs or pools in the getaway vibe I don’t see any advantage above laying out on your balcony. The one time I stayed in the haven it was on Escape. There was a pool, hot tubs, and tons of comfy loungers with nice thick mattresses and a pillow on each! Most of the time my sister and I were the only ones on the entire upper deck using the hot tubs and we only saw 2 children in the Haven area the entire week and it was a cruise July 2017!

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My favorite thing is sitting on my balcony watching the ocean as I sip a big cup of coffee! There’s no better way to start the day!

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It’s been a tough year for me- lost my Mom, lost my 14 year old Dog, son left for college and my sister moved away. I booked my first cruise in a few years today and I am smiling. Went all out and booked The Haven on the Getaway for March spring break :hearteyes:. I do believe cruise therapy is medicinal.

I’m so glad you have something pleasant and fun to look forward to. When life is treating you rough it really helps to have a good thing to look forward to in the future. It seems to make it easier to bear the crap that life sometimes hands you! Just keep thinking those happy thoughts and planning your cruise!

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Location of Embassy Suites, date of your stay in September and where you booked it through are details that may be helpful to readers.

 

I booked reservation for stay on Sept 15, 2018 at the Embassy Suites near the MIA airport on Travelocity. I also booked my flights to and from OKC and 7 day Caribbean cruise on NCL Getaway at Travelocity. The flights, hotel (full suite with free airport shuttle, breakfast buffet, drinks, and hors d’oeuvres), and Cruise in Balcony traveling Solo with 4 perks + $200 OBC was a total of $1,986.84 all in including all taxes, port charges, perk gratuities, and fees! The $200 onboard credit is going to completely pay for the balance due on all of my tours plus the charge for two optional dinner shows. So this cruise and trip will be truly all inclusive!

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I booked Suite with king bed at Embassy Suites for pre cruise stay in September for $109. I like the Embassy suites because they have free airport shuttle and free cocktails, wine and hors d’oeuvres in the evening.

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Get off your mobile device, and connect to ncl.com on a PC and see what is going on.

Never mind the cell phone or PC! Call Norwegian Cruise lines and find out what the heck is going on because I don’t think they text anybody so something crooked is going on!

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Hi,

 

 

 

I have never been on a cruise before, nor have my family. We have two young children, ages 4 and 7. I would love to go to Greece and Italy, was thinking maybe I can combine both and go on a cruise that goes to both countries. I found out that Norwegian Spirit has a 11 days cruise in April. And the prices were better than the other cruises. I was wondering if you can please let me know:

 

 

 

1. Will all the meals be included in the price? What about soda?

 

2. The one stop flight costs around $500 from IAD to Rome. Do you think it is worth paying $1000 per person to get a non-stop?

 

3. Which neighborhood in Rome do we stay so we can see so much in three days and then get to the cruise port?

 

4. Where do we book the excursion to ensure it is good and affordable? Do we need one for each port stop?

 

5. Booking - where do you recommend me to book this trip on? Expedia, Travelocity, ncl.com?

 

6. Deciding on the deck: booking thru Expedia or Travelocity gave me the options to pick deck 4, or I think 8 and 9. Which one you recommend?

 

7. Will the interior room on deck 8-9 be better than the family ocean porthole on deck 4?

 

8. Which free option are best value? We don't drink any alcohol.

 

 

 

Thank you

#1) Meals are included but soda is not unless you purchase soda package for each of you.

#2) I would go for the cheaper flight unless the layover for the flight exceeds 4 hours.

#3) My sister and I stayed at the hotel Cosmopolita for our trip in 2009. We were very pleased with the location which was right next door to the tomb of the unknown soldier and about halfway between the Colosseum and the fountain of Trevi. We were within walking distance of all the main sites other than the Vatican. My sister had been to Rome several times so we didn’t need a tour guide but did do a guided tour for the Vatican. No matter where you stay in Rome you will not be near the cruise port which is in a different city. We were on a budget so instead of taking an expensive cab ride or shuttle to the tune of €280 we instead took a train which only cost us about €20 each. You do have to be able to manage your own luggage if you do that so if you’re planning to take lots of luggage the train may not be an option for you. My sister and I each had one very large rolling suitcase and one backpack each so we did quite well. Returning from the port to the airport we were able to share a ride with other people and make it very affordable.

#4) When you’re staying three or four days in a city like you will be in Rome you may or may not require guided tours but for the stops of the cruise ship in ancient historical cities you will want to purchase tours at each location. When I’m going to the Caribbean I often arrange my own tours with tour companies but if you are getting off the boat and going on a very time consuming tour to a city in Greece or turkey you should take a ship tour so that no matter what happens the ship will wait for you!

#5) I always book with Travelocity no matter which cruise line I’m cruising because I like getting some extra onboard credit. But I always buy travel insurance from “insure my trip” because it is better coverage for a lower price.

#6) & #7) A trip to Rome with cruise to Greece is a once-in-a-lifetime trip so I would recommend if there’s anyway you can afford it that you get a room that is either oceanview or balcony!

#8) If free gratuities is offered thats a pretty good choice. Shore excursion discount might also help your family. BUT If you only get one perk definitely choose the “third or fourth family member cruises free” choice.

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MDW and I are Silver Lattitudes members and we are bringing our adult son with us and he is staying in our cabin. Do you know if they'd allow him to attend the Lattitudes cocktail party with no status if he is in the same cabin as us?

 

 

 

Thinking about attending the party since we won't have UDP and its been awhile since we cruised with NCL. If not, it won't make or break the cruise.

When anyone asks a question like this all of the rules police come out of the woodwork to tell you how horrible it is that you want to take your son with you to a party! I have been on 37 cruises On a variety of cruise lines including Norwegian and so far they have never refused me bringing the family member staying in my room with me.

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There’s a significant difference between “critic” and Cruise Incessant Whining.....where some do nothing but whine about a cruise, a ship, a cruise line, etc. Their are just a few of them. We’ve all seen them here, though. They provide no help, but constantly whine.

LOL! It’s sort of makes you wonder why some folks are even still cruising when they seem to hate everything about their cruises! I love watching the ocean, hearing it, smelling the salt water breeze, and being rocked to sleep. Even if there are occasionally events on some cruises that are less than optimal, I love being on the ocean!

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Yes, I've commented on this many times. Often people will recommend Le Bistro to those looking for a romantic place to go for dinner. I always tell them No Way. You could eat off the plate at the table next to you without even leaning over. It's ridiculous.

I love meeting new people,but even I would have to cry halt if people were leaning over eating off my plate! LOL!!!

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I need help! We are a family of 3 (mom, dad, teen daughter) Given that most MDR's do not have 3-top tables, it is understandable (and expected) that we would be seated in the MDR with strangers. This was not something that bothered us because it was an opportunity to make friends and get to know new and possibly interesting people. However, on the past 2 cruises, we have had THE WORST tablemates! It literally ruined some meals. We found ourselves dreading going to dinner! How can we avoid this issue on our next cruise: NCL Western Meditteranean?

I’ve never heard of Norwegian Cruise line seating anybody with anybody that wasn’t a member of their group. I actually would love to meet new people at dinners but like I said Norwegian never seats people who are not and member of the group with that group. It’s the one negative about going on a cruise Solo. I hate to eat alone!

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Carnival used to be my favorite cruise line especially since they leave out of a port that is within driving distance of my home although it is a 10 Hour drive! A consideration for me was which line has the best price for solo cruisers because I often cruise alone. Carnival used to give low prices with no single supplement on inner Porthole cabins located at the front of the ship with only one twin size bed in the room. They quit doing this a couple of years back and started charging double occupancy on what is clearly a single occupancy room. At that point I made the move back to Norwegian Cruise line. Most of the time if I do a comparison search with carnival the prices between Norwegian and carnival are comparable. Other than the Haven! Most of us would have trouble paying $3500-$5500 per person for a cruise. Indeed the only time I have ever stayed in the Haven was when it was a $400 upgrade from a balcony room. But if you keep your eyes open you can find really great deals especially if you live close enough to a port to take advantage of last minute specials. My next cruise is on NCL Getaway in September. I chose a balcony cabin with UBP, SDP, 250 min wifi, $50/ port shore excursion discount and $200 OBC for $1497 total including tax & port charges. This is essentially an all inclusive cruise since the OBC paid for the remaining balance on tours + 2 dinner shows! Show me a comparible Carnival Cruise for this price.

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The Celebrity cruises you are referring to embark from Puerto Rico (relatively high airfare from USA) rather than Miami(airline hub with relatively cheap flights). They have to do something to attract people to pay the higher airfare and cruise from Puerto Rico.

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The NCL apologists will always claim that you're only paying $18 per day for the beverage package because it's "free" when in reality just as you pointed out, the price is actually built in to the cruise fare you select. It's a marketing gimmick.

 

 

 

If you're ok with paying $18 per day plus an inflated cruise fare for the beverage package then you pick it, and if not then you don't. Simple choice.

 

 

 

This is one of the many reasons we're trying out the Seaside in the Fall. Paid $3,500 in a Yacht Club Deluxe Suite with $250 OBC and a free internet package and don't have to worry about a thing (other then specialty restaurants although we get 1 free). It was the same price as a mini-suite on the Bliss so it was a no brainer.

 

 

 

My bet is that within the next 2 years NCL will have to make some changes in favor of the customer due to increased competition especially with MSC entering the market and offering more for less.

I guess NCL is not the cruise line for you but that’s OK because thankfully there are many cruise lines to choose from so everyone can find one to their liking!

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Strange. Our last cruise was fully of friendly and hard working people who served us food and drinks just like we requested.

The crew seemed just as happy as they have any other time over the past 20 years. Much of it depends on the attitude of the person taking the cruise.

I entirely agree! Everyone was very friendly and kind on my last cruise. It is hard to stand and wait for the bartender to get free to make a drink but this was not the fault of the bartender but rather because it’s painful for me to stand due to rheumatoid arthritis. The bartender must have observed my difficulty because for the rest of the evening the waiter showed up with another drink before I was even finished drinking the one in hand!

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Well I am surprised that people are truly taken in by NCLs smoke and mirrors, and actually believe any perks including the UBP are "free. Leaving room now shaking head in disbelief...

 

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I think most people are fully aware of what they are being charged and simply made the choice. My next cruise without the free perks would cost about $300 less but by choosing to accept this expense I received $200 in onboard credit and all five of their “free” perks. I have chosen four tours and two dinner shows which along with my $50 per port discount will be paid for by the $200 OBC. Basically what I’m saying is that $300 is a pretty low price to pay for four tours, two dinner shows, three specialty restaurant dinners, 250 minutes of Wi-Fi, and unlimited drinks for seven days!

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I think that you mean 15 alcoholic drink maximum. ;)

I don’t think I have ever in my lifetime drank 15 drinks in one day but the thing I like about the UBP at Norwegian Cruise line is that I don’t have to count. I take that as an opportunity to try drinks that I would never order elsewhere just to taste them and if I don’t like the drink?...no harm done! I can just walk away from it and order another drink that I do like. It’s sort of like going to a winetasting except that you are tasting mixed cocktails. Realistically it would be difficult to even drink the amount of liquid contained in 15 drinks! Each drink usually contains at least 5 ounces of liquid so you would have to drink 2.25 liters of fluid not including things like water or coffee! But if you only taste but not drink many of those drinks you could exceed 15.

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Can't be used to pay down your card or transferred to a family member. If you're going to use the card as a supplementary one, then redeem it as OBC for yourself on a future cruise. If you're going to use it as your primary card, then the best bet is to accumulate 30,000 or 60,000 points and use it to upgrade your cabin via a single or double meta upgrade. You can research this throughout the thread.

 

You are incorrect. I have used points to purchase statement credit on at least five different occasions. Each time I purchased $50 off my statement using 5000 points. One time I saved up 30,000 points and used it to upgrade from an Ocean view to a balcony.

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I have $100 (or I guess actually points) for getting the NCL credit card. Can that only be used on a cruise as obc? Is it transferable to a family member if I'm not going to cruise, or is there any other way to use it, maybe to pay down the credit card? Thanks.

You can use your points for statement credit instead of onboard credit if you like. 5000 points will lower your bill by $50. If you have enough points for $100 onboard credit I’m assuming you have 10,000 points so you could get $100 statement credit. I prefer to use the points this way because even if I go on a cruise I can earn more points by just paying for things during the cruise and then getting a statement credit after the cruise is over. You wind up increasing your points balance while getting cash attributed to your credit card statement.

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How? I have yet to figure out how to skip picking Free at Sea options without selecting Sail Away pricing.

Normally there is offer of room category with no perks but right now the take fivesale is going on so it is listing that in place of the choice with no perks. What you can do is choose the Wi-Fi and shore excursion discounts. Neither of those entail any additional expense or gratuities.

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Does anyone know if you can currently upgrade from the 250 free minutes on the free at sea to the unlimited premium Wi-Fi? And if so how much does it cost?

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