jusstice

I'm at a loss for words. I can't believe our Harriet is gone.

In true Harriet form, she was planning our next cruise right up to the end.

I will miss her terribly; but because of her, we have a great group of friends that she brought together.

Vixen forever; cruise on Harriet.

I used the unlimited package in April on the Sky and had no issues whatsoever.

I tipped extra in the casino for drinks because they would get the lattes from the coffee bar. By the 2nd day, the servers knew my name & order. No issues with drinks.

I sometimes tipped at the other bars, if I was carrying cash with me. No issues getting service, and the staff was still pleasant.

Wow- that's my cruise nightmare right there (missing the ship) but magnified 1000 times (kids on boat).

I'm always back on board 1-2 hours before needed (especially since I like to watch for runners).

Just got back on Friday. I had a great time on the Sky. Its smaller, but the food & atmosphere were good, and service was excellent.

The drinks were plentiful and no need to show your card. Premium coffee drinks from the coffee bar are not part of the drink package, so the good lattes will still cost you.

Everyone had to be off the ship by 9AM, so I'm sure people were doing the walk-off by 8AM.

It was a fun time on a short cruise.

It's unfortunate that you had such a bad experience. My trips on NCL have all been through CAS, except one. I think the fact that they gave you $200 OBC in this case is not a bad reimbursement. Taxes and fees on a CAS cruise are not that costly, so you were reimbursed for a good portion of the fare you actually paid.

For anyone who's been on the Sky recently, do you know if they offer a spa pass for the 4 day cruises?

Thanks In Advance.

You can get extra key cards at Guest Services once you get on board.

That's a good location for the hall entrance. Again, just keep in mind that you will not be able to monitor the comings and goings from your location at all.

As pp indicated, it may look close by, but the insides have their own hall, whose entrance may or may not be near your room depending on location. In any event, you will not be able to monitor the kids room at all from your location.

I would try adjoining balconies or insides. Another option, the family OV rooms are really large and comfortable. It would be five of you, but I would rather that than having the kids basically around the corner.

I've done Vibe with the cabana on the BA twice. It was a place for me and my friends to go relax when we needed it. I did other things on the cruise, so it might not seem like I was there all the time, because I wasn't.

I would go during sea days and relax for a while as needed (an hour or two here and there, before and after games/slides/meals). On port days, I would go and relax after a day at the beach (again and hour or so, napping and relaxing). I've even done sail-away there twice.

My space was there for when I needed I it, and I got my expected use out of it. I never intended for it to be my only stop on the cruise for 4-5 hours a day.

First of all, there's nothing unusual about this. Casinos comp their gamblers based on the amount of money they put at risk, not on what they win. This applies to land and ship casino programs.

 

NCL's CAS is actually one of the best ship's casino programs around. We have played on Carnival, Celebrity and RCI, and they didn't come close to rewarding their players the way CAS does. Yes, it does definitely depend on what you are willing to put at risk. I do not think you'll find RCI to be any different in this regard.

I'm think NCL might be better than RCL. Just did the three day Anthem with hubby. I played more than hubby (time wise). I got more points than hubby. They have him losing more than me. He can get a comped balcony on a cruise, while I was offered a 20% discount.

Thanks so much. Taking the same trip in three weeks. Really grateful to see the dailies, and see what activities they have on the smaller ship.

On the Anthem, right after the outbreak, the casino made use use hand wipes at the craps table when buying in. Not sure what they did at the card tables.

The sticky film was everywhere on the ship, and you couldn't move an inch without someone wiping the spot you had been in. Didn't mind though. Best thing they had was the forced march to the sinks at the buffet by anyone entering. No wash-washy spray- it was straight up go to the sink and scrub up.

Having been on the BA over 7 times, I can say they have always been tight. The occasional handpay is usually generated from the high-limit slots towards the back of the room on the cashier side and the dollar quick hits. Other than that, have never seen much big hit action.

On the same sailing. The ship is gorgeous, but felt like I was in a mall. The rooms are bigger than NCL, so I can see taking the family with me next time. The solarium was the best. I wanted some announcements for any reason. Tell me what's going on. Where's there a bingo- a sale- a show- a change in course- something.

I had better luck at food than you, as I did frequent the buffet! I like the lattes I could get with my drink plan just about anywhere. Regular drink service was slow, and really hit and miss at times.

Liked the casino, only because I actually saw plenty of people winning. Otherwise, would have liked to see more tables with reasonable limits.

I found that ship was really rocking the whole time. That just can't be right.

I would go RCL again, just to take the kids. NCL for me still king.

Done both, in late May-June and July.

Depends on what you are looking for. Spa pass is nice, and is a different type of relaxation than Vibe. You have the whirlpools, ceramic heated loungers, the salt room etc.

The VIBE is great, but is only a lounging area, bar and "hot" tub. It can be windy up there on sea days. It can be quiet, or rowdy depnding on teh crowd. If its raining, then you are SOL on Vibe.

I totally agree with you on your review.

The ship is the most beautiful thing, compared to others. It is more upscale than NCL- both in looks and in the quality of the onboard shops (Armani, Bulgari). Sitting in the main area outside the pizza place (the only place I could find a late nite snack), I kept telling my hubby that I felt like I was in the Short Hills Mall (which is an upscale mall in NJ).

I thought the rooms were bigger than the BA balcony room. The insides were too. The decor is about even. The beds are not to my liking either.

The enclosed pool area and solarium are great. The activities for kids are pretty spectacular. I would go again to take the kids.

The food was pretty meh, to me anyway. I can't say that I had a meal that knocked my socks off. The desserts were non-spectacular. I liked the buffet. I think NCL is better on regular food. I didn't pay up for food on RCL, so I can't compare the specialties.

The casino to me was ok. It was small. Different machines to play so I had a variety. Tables however, not enough. One craps table, that they close down during the evening??! And the limits on some tables were out of this world. The casino was the best paying casino at sea that I have ever exepreincfed though. Lots of handpays, mostly on small denom machines. Very nice to see for a change.

Overall, I like NCL better so far. I want to be on a cruise and feel like I'm cruising. If I wasn't outside on deck, I wouldn't' know I was cruising. Also, I don't know if its because it was a short cruise, but some greetings, announcements of activities or something would be nice. Again, adds to the cruise experience.

Also, that ship needs to be fixed. There is no way the stabilizers are working on that bad boy. The ship was moving back and forth even when the sea was smooth as glass. There were two times I though I was going to fall out of my chair backwards in the casino.

Assuming the GA and BA are identical in experience, I will share mine.

Went on BA to Bermuda with my sister. I have been on the ship several times, and I knew its too big to maneuver for someone who can only go short distances unassisted. She needs a scooter/wheelchair. We had a disabled room, aft which was awesome with the balcony.

We brought her scooter (which is on the smaller side as she is petite), her crutches, and a small collapsible chair. The scooter was perfect for roaming the ship. There were very little spaces she could not go easily. I brought the crutches for her to step out in the casino so she could move around easier, but she found machines to play where she could pull the scooter up to the machine. At dining venues, she did the same.

The wheelchair came in handy to go on private excursion to the beach, as the cabs could not handle the wheelchair, and it would not work in beach area anyway. The NCL tours would also not handle the scooter. The disabled access line for NCL did help me find some potential tours which would work with a folding chair. I reasearched a private tour with an accessible van which allowed us to tour the island with her scooter. It was great.

NCL was great with the help. The staff look out for you. The bar staff in casino always helped her out with things. Her scooter ran out of power one day on the island right at the gangway. The staff was quick to push her up the plank for me. I got her to an outlet and plugged her up for a quick charge to get her in the room.

The halls are narrow, so her small scooter often had to compete with the stewards carts. They were all nice to move.

The people on elevators are absolutely the worst! They will step over you, push you out the way just to get on/off before you.

Hope this helps.

The family inside or OV would be awesome as they tend to be really roomy. Are the kids small, or teens? If the kids are young, I think you'll be fine either way.

Its very simple for NCL to track which employee is working a shift in the MDR and in a specialty and to pay them appropriately from the DSC pool.

I worked in a restaurant where I did multiple jobs. As a waitress, I clocked in under one code and made an hourly wage plus tips, which I needed to report at the end of day. As a hostess, it was a different code, with the same hourly wage but I was included in the tip pool (which is like the DSC where the wait staff had to pay a percentage of their tips into to pay the hostess, busboys, etc). As an office admin, it was a different code with a different hourly wage and no tip pool.

Just because you see the same person in the different restaurants, don't assume they are "double dipping" into the tip pool. Their time in the specialty is more dependent on the gratuities than in the MDR which is part of the DSC.

Unfortunately, she will not be able to participate in Entourage activities. They are super strict on age requirements.

The shuttle is easy. The bus is cheaper but requires the walk up the hill. This time I need to take a cab there. Hopefully will not be too expensive.

I have an allergy to shellfish. Sometimes contact is enough to break out in itchy hives, heaven help me if there is steamed lobster, and well ingesting it would be bad. I carry my Epi-pen and some benadryl for any mild reactions, like when the DH decides to eat the shrimp cocktail and then plant a kiss on me.

When staying in suite or Haven, I mentioned it on the first day, and it was noted for the rest of the cruise.

I ate in the specialties and they are very good when I mentioned the allergy. At the Teppanyaki they made my meal (steak) somewhere else. Very sad actually because it wasn't the same cut of meat that I should have gotten, but they take no chances.

I have never had an issue with the care or concern of the staff on NCL, once they are informed. The canapes that get delivered to the room, I just don't touch. Sometimes the butler remembered, sometimes not, but no guarantee they were delivered by the butler.

These can only be done on board. If it's the same as the Breakaway, there are only five? cabanas in all. You must run to the Guest Services desk as soon as you board to try and reserve one. In any event, you should hurry to the desk to try and get the Vibe pass as those are limited too.