funredhead

I am attaching a photo.  I spoke to NCL earlier and both reps gave conflicting terms which I guess I should expect when calling NCL, so I figured I’d ask people who actually know here on CC.  

As as stated above, either way it’s a great deal.

Just wondering if you redeem 2 certificates if you should receive $100 OBC for each or is the OBC $100 total?  I haven’t seen this promotion before, so I’m wondering what other people are experiencing.  Thanks for your help. 

https://www.ncl.com/cruisenext

I also posted this in the roll call. One couple received the same notifications and another received nothing. So, it’s obviously not standard procedure for embarking thru Miami. 

The getaway is also going out of Miami on Sunday. But, I haven’t seen anything about those passengers receiving notifications. 

So, needless to say it’s unsettling to me. NCL isn’t the best at communication. And, this “for your convenience” bit only makes me worry that embarking is going to be a nightmare. 

My husband and I both just received text messages and a phone call regarding embarkation on Sunday. The notice says that due to limited space at the port of Miami we should arrive between noon and 3pm only. Anyone have any idea why?

We booked Patouche a few years ago. We chartered his large catamaran.  I’m not sure what vessels he currently has after the hurricane. You will not be disappointed regardless. Without exception this will be the hilight of your trip. 

He can be a a little rough around the edges. (I actually like that). He’s former Navy. And, he runs his boats in that manner. He manages the details and that leaves you to relax and enjoy. 

Cooper Island is heaven on earth!  The resort is amazing. And the snorkeling these was incredible!  Wait until you see the turtles!  Bring an underwater camera. We loved lunch at the resort and the beach there is unbelievable!  There is a little gift shop.  And the painkillers are not to be missed. 

For your stop stop at the baths... you will obviously be approaching from the water. So you will have to swim to shore. Joe will give you preservers and floats. And, honestly it seems Father than it is. We had some in our group that are not great swimmers.  Everyone did great though. So, don’t be intimidated. 

The baths themselves are truly beautiful.  You’ll need the camera to capture the memories. 

I would highly recommend the full face snorkel snorkel masks for this trip. So much nicer than the tube in your mouth. 

Enjoyyour day!  I wish we were stopping in Tortola this year. I would book patouche in a New York minute. 

Buyer beware! Check out their Facebook page. I would recommend you find another operator. We booked with 14 people in Roatan. We were met as indicated and then told that our tour was cancelled. The man with the sign for our excursion called someone and then told us that there was nothing they could do for us.

After months of planning including 2 follow up calls before leaving the US, we were out of luck. When we returned home, we did receive our deposit back. But, Shore Excursioneer would not take our calls. We received an email telling us that it was the operators fault...and we were basically out of luck.

I'm platinum, wife is gold (long story). I received one free bag and she was offered 50% off one (we only used the free bag). The bag was cloth and very large, I'm sure we could have stuffed in twice the amount of clothing compared to the old paper bags.

Very interesting. Thank you. One more question, what type of cabin did you stay in, if you don't mind me asking.

Oops. Never I d. I see that you were in the haven. I had heard that they use the cloth bags in the haven. And the paper in the balconies. We are traveling in a balcony next week and just wondering.

I appreciate your insight.

Are you plantinum? How many bags of laundry?

Have you considered looking at the B6 category? That's a large balcony cabin vs. the cabin you mention which is an M6. The price difference may be more reasonable for you. Good luck!

If you can afford it, I'd highly recommend the outside cabins on the breakaway. We have stayed comfortably in many inside cabins on other ships. But, on the breakaway those rooms are extremely tight. Is it doable? Yes. Would you be more comfortable across the hall? Absolutely!

For reference we are also a family of 4.

Either way, enjoy your vacation.

The marina is a much smaller ship. But, in the end it will be about draft. I think the real test will be Wednesday when the Getaway is scheduled to dock. I guess we will see.

Well good news! TheOceana Marina docked in Harvest Caye today. There is some info in this thread on the Oceana boards. Specifically #56.

Hopefully, the NCL ships will be back this week.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2451321&page=3

Thank you so much for the info on Harvest Caye. Enjoy the rest of your vacation!

I will be very interested to hear your report on Harvest Caye. Thank you so much!

OP- just curios if you are still stopping in Harvest Caye, Belize tomorrow 2/5?

The last 2 NCL ships scheduled to port there were cancelled due to an "obstruction" and your ship is the next scheduled vessel.

Thanks for your insight. Enjoy your vacation!

Then it will be interesting in the days to come to see if other ships were able to port there.

For the OP, did your family member have any other info? Did it just become a sea day or did they port in Belize city?

Just curious as we are traveling on the getaway in a few weeks.

It's been our experience that kids over 10 have sign in and out privledges on the ships. My 12 year old son still likes the club particularly on the large ships.

We expect him to check in with us if he's not at the club and let us know where he is at all times. I would agree that not everyone on these ships are people, I'd want my kids to be around. That being said, I don't think kids need to be treated like inmates. If they are responsible and respectful and meet the parameters of your rules, then I'm sure you will all have a great vacation.

I don't know which ship you are sailing on, but I would recommend that your son goes and tries out the club. We have met many amazing kids crew employees. They work really hard to make vacations fun. The other upswing is transitioning to the teen club is easier. And, they do an amazing job!

Happy sailing!

We used to book directly with the cruise line too. But, I was doing some research here and many many members were recommending working with a TA. After searching thru the rest of the cruise critic site, I found the travel agent that in vailed innuendo was recommended.

Our experience with using an acency has been great. We always get additional perks, OBC and excellent service. A few cruises ago, one of the booking perks from NCL was not included when we boarded. We had the UBP booked while sailing with our kids and they were supposed to get the soda package. Right before we boarded, the promotion changed so that soda package wasn't included.

The front desk told me it was an issue with our travel agent. So, I called and late on a Saturday afternoon, they offered to add OBC to our account to purchase the package. The next morning, NCL corrected their mistake. Our travel agent told us to keep the OBC for the aggrevation

I would highly recommend using a travel agency.

With regard to the laundry for plantinum....

It's vague with just 1 bag. No notation per person or per cabin. Which makes me believe it's the lesser (sadly). Does anyone know for sure?

I love this perk! I'm also wondering if it is per room, would you also be able to take advantage of the second bag for half off the laundry special?

Thanks for your insight.

Yes, perfectly! Thank you so much for your reply. We all have iPhones so that will work nicely!

Thank you for your responses. I'm also wondering whether you had an internet package, as the t&c of those packages says only 1 device can be logged in at a time. We are traveling with our kids. There are 4 of us in our stateroom.

I am wondering how reliable it is for texting and calling? We used it or tried to on the breakaway a few years ago and we weren't able to stay connected to the wifi.

I am also wondering about the current cost?

Thanks for your help.

Excellent! Thank you!

Great review! Love the pics!

Wondering if you can say more about your cab ride in Roatan? I know it's Mr. toad's wild ride. I'm wondering specifically about the vehicles, are they the open air variety or are you enclosed? I'm honestly not sure which variety is better when there are guard rails up and down those mountains, but, I'd like to know.

Also, how long is the trip and how steep is the incline, if you remember?

I appreciate your insight!

Thank you so much. This is very comprehensive.

As an added note, I'd like to add my experience from earlier this week booking the illusinarium while having the 3 dinner sdp.

First, you must book your 3 dinners from the SDP. I made the mistake of booking the illusinarium first and was charged a discount rate if $17.70pp.

The problem is, they system only recognizes the first person on your booking as having dining reservations. So the 2nd passenger is charged the discount rate, thereby eating up one of the specialty dinners from the sdp.

I called and spoke to 3 different reps (this is NCL after all). In the end, the only solution is to book 3 reservations in the 2nd passengers name (keeping 3 in the 1st passenger as well) that can be cancelled once on the ship. Not before because then you would be refunded the difference from the upcharge on the sdp. Note, that the reservations need to be booked toward the end of your week because reservations have to be cancelled 24 hours in advance.

In the end, the whole situation is pretty frustrating. It requires juggling what you're keeping and what you're cancelling. It also takes reservations out of the available pool for other passengers. But, I would rather be aggravated before we board vs. being surprised on the ship.

So, long story short... if you have the sdp and want to book the illusionarium, check your second passenger to be sure they are charged correctly.