david_sobe

Funny because the rest of Prima is so nice the Haven does not stand out. You would think these photos are of any other part of the ship 😁

A 16 year old boy will love the race track, huge Laser tag course, and Galaxy Pavilion. You can play hoops anywhere. That's not a fair comparison at all. Encore has more bells and whistles. People tend to rationalize and justify their choices instead of being objective. Clearly you can have a blast on either ship and without a 16 year old boy I may lean Escape for a more traditional ship. But a teen boy is who the Encore was built for.

I like the new names. Its time to change things up. So many NCL ships are so similar.

If I ever hit the lottery I may seriously book one 😁

Of call the cruises I have been on people love my cowbell and I usually get tips and calls for more cowbell. Its small and fits conveniently in a suitcase. I think only once someone knocked on my door at 3:30 am and told me it was getting on their nerves and they were trying to sleep. Sure enough it was not long before they too were asking for more cowbell. If you hear a cowbell on your cruise, you know its me. Its just unfortunate NCL wont let me join their cruise ship band with my cowbell.

Bring a can of cooking spray and you are good to go 🙂

NCL started an upgraded beverage package that includes water. Is this for the upcharge beverage package or the original beverage package? If my memory is correct, for another $50 per day the package included water, Starbucks, specialty coffees and all top shelf liquor.

The Food Republic is open for lunch and I would suggest trying it at least once. I think the sushi bar is open too. The American Diner is also open. The majority of specialty restaurants only open for dinner.

I have not been on her for awhile. But my experience both times sailing her was it was more of an older crowd or a booze cruise with not many kids.

I cant speak for current Sky conditions but the Sky has never been a kid friendly ship. No slides, no water park, no bells and whistles for kids.

I remember your story of the hide and seek games in the Horizon lounge. There is a video on youtube but wont post because they are children but they are screaming so loud and its echoing because the roof is closed in the Haven pool area. You definitely drew the short stick that cruise. This is why I like to cruise in February when kids are in school.

My favorite Xmas cruise story was on Epic on Xmas eve and watching A Christmas Story in the Atrium on the giant screen while eating popcorn. Bring your Santa hats!

I can imagine. NCL wants to impress all the travel agents and VIPs. Its not really a fair comparsion cruise for the rest of us. As I said, by the 5th sailing we can get a better report of things. I dont even care that much for seafood and that seafood buffet looked incredible.

If they are charging for a round of darts and mini golf, it would be impossible not to believe the Indulge Food hall will not be an upcharge. But lets wait and see. If history is our guide we should know something around the 4 sailing. 😉

I could agree with you. However half the ship comes here to blast the cruise line because their travel agent did not answer the phone and couldn't book them on another flight home leaving them stranded. They are all treated horribly once the captain makes that announcement. Then the next cruise passengers all want endless OBC because the ship sailed late. Rinse, lather, repeat.

Its too early to tell but most are betting on charges. They have a BBQ and Rotisserie place. I would be shocked if NCL did not charge for those places. When the Breakaway debuted, Margaritaville was free and included. After the popularity was too much to handle, a fee was added. You are kidding yourself if you think NCL is not going to charge for all that good Indian food, BBQ food, specialty Chicken etc. Lets wait and see I dont think you can compare the food at O'Sheehans and the Food Truck Hall. O'Sheehans is frozen fish and chips, fake cheese nachos, hot dogs, hamburgers, etc. The Food Truck hall specializes in meats which is nothing like O'Sheehans. We go through this with every new NCL ship. If history is the judge, there will be an upcharge. Its not new nor should it be surprising. Lets see how long it stays "included."

The Prima VIP cruise also had no upcharges for the Food Truck hall.

I sort of like them. They are different though. The Master bedroom appears to be very large, just as big as an owners suite. Gone is the bathroom/shower with the ocean picture window though. However you get a giant balcony that goes across both the master bedroom and living room. The second bedroom is a real bedroom with a real bed. Adults no longer have to sleep in a bunk bed. The second bathroom is so nice too. Notice these suites now sleep 6 instead of 5. The sofa pulls out with a real mattress that sleeps 2. The living room is a bit smaller but you get that long hallway that makes it feel larger IMHO. Its a much more practical use of space that most families will appreciate. Those that only traveled with one guest maybe will miss the giant marble bar, bathroom with picture window, etc. But I think most people will appreciate the extra space where its needed.....the bedrooms.

With your kids I vote Getaway. For me personally, I would take the Gem in a non-Haven aft suite and enjoy the tranquility of a smaller ship. The Getaway has a great water park for the kids.

I've always enjoyed a Tide pod on my pillow at night.

NCL is going to have to update their website with the cabins that have the slide through the balcony and alert travel agents so people know what they are getting. If the suite was discounted enough maybe it would not bother me so much 😁

NCL: For your convenience, a tube slide will run through your balcony 🙂 The obstructed view is a downer but would you not hear endless people and children screaming all day?

I wrote that at 5am. I was not putting down the Yacht Club. My choice of words should have been better. Many complain on celebrity that the Yacht Club limits their roam of the ship since they are not booked in suites. I was trying to do a comparison.

They definitely went with a minimalist, hip, urban kind of look for the Haven. Yes Hudson's looks more glamourous for sure. I think it could be for 2 reasons. NCL created a much more relaxed and casual Haven experience for its guests. Since the Haven is so large and huge, it could be a bit tacky to have all those luxury upgrades in such a large place. Hudson's the MDR went for a more traditional glamour cruise ship dining room. However if you look at Taste and the Manhattan Room on the newer NCL ships, those dining rooms are just as glamourous as the Haven on those ships. I think NCL went for a more relaxed, resort kind of feel for its Haven. If you are only looking for glamour, Prima is the ship where if you have a pass for Vibe, you may not even need the Haven. Vibe looks like the Retreat on Celebrity and if you dine in Hudson's, you will have all the glamour you like 🙂 My concern is having a Haven so large with so many people, will it not feel intimate and private? Have they turned the Haven into the Yacht Club which is just a part of the ship for suite guests to wander about. I also am curious what's its like to have to take elevators to the Haven instead of just walking out your door down the hall to the restaurant, etc. With it being so big, have they defeated the purpose of the Haven? The Haven suites are more casual too. Gone are the big marble bars in the 2 bedroom suites. However they did add a real second bedroom with a real bed.