khaide612

I've even brought multiple travel sizes of mouth wash & contact solution. I bring full size hairspray - also liquid. Put your mio drops in with toiletries - they don't care about those.

Never had a problem with any toiletries. You can also bring a full sized bottle of contact lens solution.

You only say you are sailing on Breakaway - not what time of year or what kind of cabin or which itinerary. The spa is a great place to relax on a crowded sailing and also on a colder cruise. Think about your itinerary and how much you would actually use the spa. Also, depending on your current cabin look into cost to upgrade to a spa cabin where thermal suite access is included. Once my sister was booked in some balcony category on Getaway & it was less than $200 per person to change to Spa balcony cabin.

Onboard you can buy a future cruise reward/cruise next certificate which works as a deposit on your next cruise. The cost for 1 is $150 ($250 deposit less $100 onboard credit) or 2 for $250 (2 x $250 deposits less $250 onboard credit). These deposits are good for 4 years and transferable but you can usually only use 1 per cabin - sometimes they allow more than one.

You do not have to book your next cruise onboard - sometimes they will offer an additional perk or an upgrade 1 or a few categories so check if it is worth it to book onboard.

Dress code has become even more relaxed than it was a couple years ago - which was already pretty relaxed. A couple years ago I witnessed people being turned away from Grand Pacific because they were wearing shorts. Not this time around. Shorts, t-shirts, jeans, baseball caps - all fair game. Not in Le Bistro, admittedly; but that was a more mature crowd and perhaps the neater dress was due to that, although even there jackets were once predominant for men, but no longer.

I have had times in the Gem & the Jewel where they sent people from the relaxed dining room to the aft dining room even with shorts as there were long waits for the relaxed dining room. But just this past January on the Jade they strictly enforced the no shorts rule in the aft dining room. There were people in jeans and baseball hats but they turned away older gentlemen in shorts and polos who looked much nicer.

But the rule is usually no shorts in the formal (aft) dining room or in Le Bistro.

The solo coordinator will arrange dinner and show reservations for everyone to go as a group - almost acts as a concierge & cruise staff entertainment for the solo travelers. If you miss the first meeting, just find the solo coordinator and speak to them. They also put lists up in the lounge for sign-ups.

It's an island & I don't think they let random boats just dock. But I have an idea...have her call The Coldwell Banker Harvest Caye office - (855) 723-5493. I don't think they live on the island so maybe they will help with ideas on how to meet up.

I'm super jealous of your friend. My retirement plan involves a house in Belize...

If you know you will sail NCL again within 4 years buy Cruise Next Certificates - Cruise Rewards - whatever they are called now. :)

Any non-refundable that I would lose I would buy something like jewelry or booze. Chai lattes, espressos & other un-included coffee drinks for me and my friends.

Cash out & play in casino.

Where did this solo group meet on Jade so that they could go as a group to dinner, thanks?

 

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Check the Freestyle Daily - every ship usually had a solo meet. I wasn't solo so have no idea.

On the Away ships, the lounge is 2 levels - the bottom level is the main lounge with the bar and the upper level has more seating. There are stairs in the lounge to go between the levels.

I've typed like 3 replies but they keep going poof.

The benefits are each listed as dinner for 2 per stateroom. The dinners are not addressed in the T&Cs and all the FAQs regarding the dinner benefit say the same thing - that the benefit is 2 dinners per stateroom.

The FAQ regarding solos specifically asks if a voucher can be split into 2 dinners for 1 and the answer says: 1) it is 2 dinners per stateroom; 2) solo travelers get 2 dinners for 1; 3) it can't be split; 4) it is only a benefit when 2 guests dine together. I believe it is only offered to show that the dinner for two cannot be split if a solo traveler was truly solo and was dining solo.

Since the T&C for the Latitudes benefits do not address this issue and the benefit is listed as dinners for two per stateroom then that is what I am entitled to as a platinum cruiser if I book a cabin to myself.

The FAQs address it. You get 2 dinners for 2 - not 4 dinners for 1. Meet up with a fellow solo & share - even better if they are also platinum. :)

https://www.ncl.com/latitudes-rewards-program/faq

It is more onboard - your math is off - $199 + 20 is $219.

Day passes are rare.

It might be too much work for me, especially as Jewel doesn't have a Studio-plex and likely has a less busy solo gathering. I guess I will proceed to online booking for my two meals. I didn't even think about the absence of a cover charge with the new more expensive scheme. Cheers.

I have a booking on Getaway in Nov in the studio area so I guess the studio host will take us to a regular dining room. I noticed before on the studio notice board that people signed up to eat in a specialty restaurant and wondered if the studio host could get a reservation or have on hold?

Next year I have cruise booked on Jade and wondered if anything is done to get solos to eat together. I see on the daily solos can meet in a bar at 6 and wondered if anybody shows up and then go as a group to dining room. Do you know about these scenarios Budget Queen?

When I was on the Jade in January there was a very large solo group who dined and did shows together. Probably easier to coordinate on a ship with studio lounge but even the other ships have cruise staff as solo coordinators. I think on any sailing it might not be that hard to find another solo platinum cruiser to share the dining perks.

No reservations necessary. When you are ready for dinner, pick a dining room. If you go at a peak time, you may have to wait a few minutes - most I have ever waited was 20 and that was a full ship during Christmas week. The difference between dress down and dress up dining rooms is pants - the dress up doesn't allow shorts.

You call NCL and give them the name and latitude number of the person you want to transfer it to.

Thanks for this - you just saved us an extra $750! :*

I've also dealt with the empty restaurant situation. We tried to get in to LaCucina 1 night and were told there was nothing available. We had the concierge call and he was told there was nothing available. We walked by and asked for a table and got seated immediately. We were there for almost 2 hours and were the only occupied table.

As a solo sailor, I was planning on using my Platinum Latitudes benefit to get four free meals, two in Cagney's and two in La Cucina on my Mexican Riviera cruise in April. (This is based on the "dinner for two" principle and my only being "one".) It sounds like I'm going to have to get everything booked the exact moment I board the ship or I'll be screwed along with everyone else. I hope the Cruise Next manager will be at her work station when I board. As with so much with NCL anymore, it's two steps forward and one step back.

The FAQs address this:

Can I still split the dinner for two vouchers if I am a solo traveler (two meals for one person)?

No, this benefit is delivered as two dinners for two per stateroom. Solo travelers get two dinners for one. You cannot split the voucher in to two separate vouchers and redeem the dinners on two separate evenings. The benefit is only if there are two guests dining on the same visit.

Tip based on the service you receive. If the butler brings a snack for you each day and does nothing else then tip what you think that would be worth. Don't look at any standards rates as you should not be tipping an awesome butler the same as one who you never see and who does the bare minimum. Same with concierge - if they do nothing for you there is no need to tip them.

I think what was happening was 2 families of 4 (each 2 adults and 2 minors) would cram the 4 adults into the Haven stateroom and book the 4 minors in the connecting. The families would move around/switch however they saw fit but all 8 would have Haven access even though only 4 (sometimes 2) were charged Haven prices. Now that an adult has to be in each stateroom, it doesn't "work" the same way.

I was just writing this!!! The issue with allowing Haven access to the connecting cabin is that like everything else people will abuse it. OP wants to move her 18+ year old kids in there and give them Haven access. Who decides who they make exceptions for and how do they decide? 4 adults could book themselves in a Haven aft suite and then book the connecting cabin for their kids just so everyone can get Haven access. Where do they draw the line?

OP - you were going to have both of the other kids on the couch in the aft cabin so I'm not seeing how you being an early riser is a problem in the 2 bedroom when it wasn't in the aft cabin.

They have everyone's picture. :)

I've had cruises where cabin stewards addressed me by name before I got to my cabin.

I think the 2 bedroom would end up being cheaper or about the same price as the aft with the connecting balcony. Then everyone has Haven access with no questions asked. 2 boys were going to share couch in original aft configuration? With the 2 bedroom - 2 of the boys can sleep in the 2nd bedroom and 1 on the couch.

I was there in January. Chairs galore! And people were complaining that the water was too rough.

For the time that we were stopped there I didn't feel the need to eat. There were water stops available on the paths and misting fans to keep you cool so no need to buy a drink either.

I saw a few bathrooms too so not sure what the OP is talking about. I will agree that the chocolate was expensive but will add that Harvest Caye was our last stop and the chocolate prices were consistent with what we found in the other ports.

I also went back to the ship for lunch and had no issue in the buffet - maybe OP went at one of those weird times? The dining room and O'Sheehan's were also open.

The twenty- and thirty-something chicks these guys are hoping to hook up with aren't hanging out on a Cruise Critic roll call... just sayin'.

You would be surprised. ;p My last Breakaway cruise we had a really wide range of ages and the CC group was awesome. Definitely some hookups there.