SMerritt

It gave you the option to book at 5:30? STrange..I've been trying to do that for the past month and it says it's not available! :(

Sailing in October - I also could not find any 5:30 shows for the Illusionarium

A call to NCL for the above and seating for 5 at Teppanyaki could not be done:confused:

I finally called NCL, was told that not ALL available seats are posted online, to wait until we board, then she said, my choices might all be booked already. This person was checking the same site info we use.

We are staying in the Haven so I contacted the concierge desk, received an email that sounded like all of my requests were booked although.....

I feel, the first thing when we/you board, is to hopefully get firm reservations I am also checking the site periodically to see if more times and dates open up.

*sigh* This should be so easy

If you want more ONBOARD "sporting" activities go with NCL Breakaway or Getaway.

We also noticed more upbeat evening activities for your age group

And also google cruise ship movements for a port and the port authority site comes up

Shows which berth etc

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Wow thanks!

There is also http://ports.cruisett.com/

We usually just take cabs to beaches etc. (pricey in Hawaii)

This time our butler suggested renting cars - he rented us cars from discounthawaiicarrental.com (5 star on Yelp). The car rentals were SUPER CHEAP.

Having the car allowed us to see and do more. All cars have GPS which made touring and sightseeing fun, easy, and affordatle.

The car rental agencies pick you up and bring you back to the ports.

Now......IF you can budget a helicopter tour, ALL of you will love it. If I could only choose one activity, I would do a helicopter tour in Hawaii again! We booked the Maui and Kauai flights through NCL, The pilots, scenery, and whole flight was totally complete and amazing. Your boys will remember it forever and like our neighbors boys on the ship, talk about it non-stop, we all flew on the Big Island, then HAD to see Kauai by air.

The CC Hawaii board is also full of information

Have a Great Family vacation!

????? That would eliminate most women's formal footwear! :eek:

 

But I digress...

Carry on.

Hilarious! Do they duct tape open-toed sandals? :rolleyes:

Our experience on Royal on the Oasis was, formal nights were a little overwhelming - I would not even know how to pack a few gowns I saw on formal nights

Ruth can do her magic..don't worry about that.

 

And we weren't charged at all in terms of dining- but we did have the UDP program. There were a few dinners where our party of three went down to a party of two-- and one place had an issue with it (I think it was Teppanyaki)

 

And it is a kid friendly show.. they did pull a little boy onstage to be a helper. The first night (free with UDP on embarkation day) was not crowded at all. I wouldn't call it empty but it wasn't full either.

Thanks! I have the direct line concierge number - will try tomorrow

I can not believe ALL of the 5:30 shows are booked

Will do Teppanaki for a party of six if I have too - #6 missed the ship or?:rolleyes:

There are 530 shows. Did you try to book online?

 

And don't worry about the party the size of five. We were a party of three and had the same issue with party size. We would book party of four and tell them three when we got there.

Oh, thank you so much jbitzer!

I was going to book a party of six and do what you said = been on a zillion NCL cruises now and never planned ahead - so, they don't charge you until you dine?

And yes, tried online but they are only showing 8:45 shows available - I guess another call or wait for Ruth to do her Magic :rolleyes:

We are sailing on the Getaway with family - when it is the two of us, we totally "freestyle" and let our Concierge book whatever is available at the "moment".

I have been trying to make this cruise hassle-free, since this is the "kids" and grandsons first cruise.

Just tried to make reservations for the Illusionarium Show, there are only

8;45 PM shows!

Does anyone know if earlier shows are offered and just not listed yet? or, they don't want children????

*sigh* Tempanyaki - I could only select 1,4,6,8..... diners - there are 5 of us. (called NCL on this one, have to wait till embarkation day):confused:

Thank you in advance...Grampa Hat is bummed right now

I just read that Ruth was your concierge.......Did Ruth mention if this is her permanent "home" now?

We are cruising in October, so I guess things could change.

I read some negative reviews about Anoop when he was on the Getaway, which surprised me, he was great on one of our cruises but, it was a smaller ship.

I guess, My main question for now, did Ruth escort you or arrange a meeting time to the evening shows? Did she help you with priority disembarkation on the last day? We have sailed with Ruth 3 times and she is very helpful.

Who is now the Getaway Hotel director?

Don't get all "tied up in knots" trying to get Vibe Passes

H20 is nice and fun

I forgot exactly where on the Braakaway ......take some time and explore the Breakaways upper decks, fore and aft.....there are some hidden deck spaces that look very quiet and nice, especially for a group.

We have always had Haven suites -- the pool and sun deck areas are always quiet, even on sea days.

Hi. Does the Haven Restaurant on the Breakaway have presses coffee. I drink black iced coffee from DD so if I can get the pressed coffee I can take it and put in fridge and have that in the mornings.

 

Thanks.

If you are in a Haven suite, you will have a Lavazza Machine in your cabin

Coffee in the Haven Restaurant is pressed at your table in two different size post, possibly you can take the whole pot back once pressed

We have been looking for a change, 12 cruises in the NCL Havens have spoiled us.

Called MSC - they are having a "half-price" sale..........

Just booked two Yacht club suites approx. $8K per suite, for $4K and change for each suite on a 10 day cruise.

The Yacht club on the Divina sounds amazing!

Soooo, let the reading begin:D

Sailed Allure, Breeze, Epic and Breakaway. All are beautiful ships. Allure (and assuming her twin Oasis), is a nice ship. Epic, Breakaway, Breeze are as nice, some ways better, some ways not.

 

Not been on the Getaway, but generally speaking, the entertainment on NCL is head and shoulders anything I've experienced on either the Allure or Breeze. IMHO, entertainment in NCL is the best of any cruise line/ship on the water..

 

Getaway should be similar to Breakaway. Oasis should be similar to Oasis. Based on that, I believe you'll find the outside areas on the Getaway nicer than the (fewer) outside areas of the Oasis. OCEAN PLACE is woderful. Nothing like it on the Allure.

 

Love Freestyle, too.

 

Good luck, whichever you choose!

Great Post........Could not find any ocean view "Outside Areas" on the Oasis except from our suite.

Breakway offered so much more than Oasis.......

Another no planner here. Once in a while I'll grab a tour once off the ship. When I had my cruise partner, we booked randomly at the dock.

It drives me nuts to read about people booking and planning many months in advance. I know, some are planners, but it leaves the mystery behind and the potential for cancellations etc. Then, they get all upset about it.

We just "winged it" in Hawaii on the POA - GREAT CRUISE!

My wonderful mom always said - The more plans you make, you will come home with complaints - missed this, missed that........

As m,any above posted, avoid the stress and just be surprised!

NCL Haven has private courtyard, pool, restaurant. Butler, concierge,

and cabin amenities.

Agree - NCL Haven guests are treated like royalty, we love the suites - the Haven feels like a private Luxury Liner......

Sailed the Oasis once - Epic 3 x times........

The Epic had a lot more family-oriented evening entertainment, restaurants, and a broader range of Age-Oriented activities for the "Under 21" cruisers

Print off on regular paper, fold the cover with shipping tape. Punch a hole in the ends. Take a zip tie with you for each tag and attach once you have arrived.

I have always done my tags this way

OP - I understand your concern. But 3 ports for 7 days is pretty standard.

 

We did a Southern Caribbean cruise years ago out of San Juan. It was 6 ports in 7 days - which turned out to be way to much.

 

We felt really rushed and tired as the week progressed. There was really no time to just relax without feeling that we should have been somewhere else. :/

 

 

Sent from my phone - using the Cruise Critic forums app

Saved me a lot of typing (uhh keyboarding)....The Epic has a lot to do or not to do on sea days. I am now always relieved not to HAVE to get up and go somewhere, see something (ports).

so you could get off cruise ship and take a taxi to waeila beach hotel and pay the day rate and have a great day ! yes? how far away from ship?

thanks

It is actually cheaper to rent a car - we used cabs on our first HI cruise, they are expensive. Car for day was $59.00.

Our Butler booked us, and highly recommended - http://www.discounthawaiicarrental.com/

ALL of the car rental agencies run buses to and from their offices to the port - I could not believe the savings

We arrived at the Pier at about noon - being only one ship in port, embarkation was fast and smooth. Security fast and efficient

We were in a Suite so we ate in Cagney's - some cruisers we met said they had a nice lunch in the MDR

Having done this cruise with NCL total of 6 times and can say that while it looks expensive it is because they have to factor in casino lost monies bingo etc. Plus they have a fair amount of Us staff of which are unionized because the ship is US flagged.

 

Having said that I still believe its the biggest bang for your buck and I ask you to compare amt of time you have in each port verses NCL.

 

PS: chances are your gonna lose your money in the casino any way so just pay it up front.

Just returned from a POA cruise - did not miss the casino at all!

Fabulous week!

Came home with a few dollars more ;)

My husband is watch obsessed. We were on the Breakaway a few months ago and he says there were no Breitlings on board. I know you should be able to buy them in one of the shops in the port on St. Thomas if you are sailing on the Getaway.

I am married to your husband's twin brother......

Meet with your ships shopping guide/expert while onboard - get shore discount cards, recommendations, and you can also meet him/her at shops in port

Juvesgirl - there is an AMAZING watch store in town, in St Thomas - I drop hubby of, then I go shop! They have a lot of "special" watches and love to talk shop with the guys. ;)

Never seen Breitlings on a ship

We totally prefer the Breakaway over the Oasis

Breakaway = 100% more entertainment, great restaurants WITH OCEAN VIEWS..

Central park on the Oasis is neat, but I can go to a park at home, the ship just lacks ocean views and "on board experiences" - we felt like we were in a Hilton Hotel packed with cruisers.

Taxi or car service will cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $35-40 plus tolls and tip. It's sort of a coin flip. Car service has the advantage of a fixed fare while in taxis it's metered and will vary by route and traffic. Car service vehicles are often a touch nicer than taxis.

 

You can check these car services:

 

Dial7 http://www.dial7.com

 

Carmel http://www.carmellimo.com

Thanks to Cruise Critic, we have been using Dial7

We were "newbies" the the Big City - Dial7 has always been reliable and on time, they keep in touch and are very helpful from the airport to the pier, and on disembarkation day. Reading comparisons and talking to NYC cruisers, their prices are great.

How early would you say to get there? I would like my 7 yr old granddaughter to be able to get an unobstructed view.

Thanks!

Christina

 

 

⚓️ You know you're a cruise addict:

If you know what DOtD and OBC mean.

If you enter your bedroom at night and look for the towel animal.

If you are reading Cruise Critic, and your cruise isn't for months, or you don't even have one booked (yet!)

The Cirque show on the Breakaway is different than the Epic Circque show - We loved them both!

If you are staying in the Haven, your concierge will take you in early - otherwise, I heard some cruisers got in line 25-30 minutes before the show.