garnet115

Are the suites still equipped with a DVD player even if there is no longer a DVD lending library?

When I tried to give a small tip to the butler on the first day, he declined and told me to tip him at the end after I see whether I am satisfied with the service received. I tipped him the afternoon before disembarkation, and he accepted it, but assured me that it could have waited until the next morning, when he served us in-suite breakfast. Tipping the day before did not impact his service on the last morning, when he showed up with a smile. The same goes for our room steward.

I remembered this review that said the Haven concierge was able to get vibe passes for guests without them having to go down to guest services:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2260638&highlight=concierge+vibe

It stuck out in my mind because it always struck me as wrong that Haven guests were able to get passes this way. I get that Haven guests get priority for a lot of things on the ship - tenders, specialty reservations, theater seats, etc. - but given that they have access to the Haven area, it seems wrong that they could grab up vibe passes in this way.

In any event, the review gives a nice description of why a passenger might want access to both areas (and the thermal suite, too).

We are crrently on board the Getaway. Last night at about midnight, we rescued 17 Cuban refugees who were aboard a homemade raft. They had been in the water since Dec. 24th. Way to go fabulous Getaway Captain and staff.

Wow! That is incredible! Definitely kudos all around.

We don't have SDP as a promotion. If I buy one of the SDP packages can I then ignore the a la carte pricing?

 

Will I be limited to one appetizer, one entree, one dessert or can I order a couple extra appetizers for no additional charge?

The short answer is yes, you can ignore the a la carte pricing at Cagney's, Le Bistro and La Cucina. My understanding is that you can still get multiple appetizers, sides and desserts, but are limited to one entree without additional charge. Also, some of the other restaurants (sushi, ocean blue, entertainment-based dining) carry and up charge on top of using one of your SDP meal credits.

We got off the Getaway on Sunday January 10th and the menus where the same as before.

Don't know about the MDR menu changes, but according to myNCL, Getaway will be moving to the a la carte menus in the specialties starting on 2/14/16 (my sail date).

The Mexican government also requires permission from the non-travelling parent, but I wasn't asked for the letter when we visited there. Typically this is related to International Child Abduction Laws.

Interesting since my next cruise has 2 port stops in Mexico. :eek: NCL doesn't mention it on their website listing of travel documentation - only the Canada requirement.

NCL's website says - for most itineraries - that a consent is only needed if the minor is not traveling with one of their parents. So based on their website, if I'm taking a Caribbean cruise from Miami and traveling alone with my dd, I should not need a consent from the other parent. That said, I can understand them asking for proof of relationship (such as a birth certificate) when there are different surnames (as is the case with me and my dd). Only once have we been questioned on an NCL cruise, and they basically just asked me our relationship, and I responded that I was her mother. I offered up the birth certificate, but they didn't bother to check it.

I always carry a copy of my custody order when we travel because it lists me as the sole custodial parent (although ex-dh has parental access rights). It's easier than asking him to cooperate with providing the consent. I've never been asked for it, but I always have it in hand just in case.

When I traveled to Alaska on another line, I was required to get a consent form completed, but my understanding was that it was because there was a port stop in Canada. I believe NCL also requires the consent for itineraries with a Canada stop.

Funny that you updated this... I was just messing with it not 10 minutes ago.

 

I tried over and over with the gift cards online... the site flat out refused to deal with it properly.

 

I finally called up and processed them through the phone rep without a problem.

 

How bizarre that ncl.com can't handle a silly gift card transaction.

Yeah, the site certainly has it's share of "quirks." Glad you got it worked out.

Please do... thanks!

Circling back to let you know that I spoke with concierge and they were able to take care of it for me. The online purchases were not showing on their end, so they went ahead and processed them for me. I now have an amenity confirm in hand with no balance due, showing everything that I've booked/purchased. One of the items still isn't showing on myNCL, but the other one is. I'll take all my documents with me showing what I paid for, so I'm not overly concerned.

Good luck getting your issues resolved! I definitely recommend calling the pre-concierge for help.

We are in the 2 bedroom Haven villa on Breakaway right now and I can tell you with certainty that the mini bar items are not free. We were given a bottle of Champagne and one bottle of water for free. The rest is for a fee, even with the UBP.

Thanks. I figured as much since that was always my understanding of how it worked. They really need to change their advertising. Or their policy. ;)

I was looking around the NCL website and came across an offer for OBC when using your Amex card. What is interesting is that they are listing the mini bar as complementary for Haven and Suites. Is this something new or just NCL passing on misleading information to customers?

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It seems to be in the suite descriptions elsewhere on the website, too. I've never heard this to be the case - mini bar was always extra, but wonder if that has changed? I believe some other lines (Maybe MSC Yacht Club?) include minibar for suites, so perhaps they are trying to compete? That would be nice! I also noted that where it talks about fruit, bottled water, and sodas, there is nothing indicated extra charges (as is the case with specialty dining delivery). This seems consistent with the idea of a complimentary minibar.

Not really a big deal to me one way or the other, but it would be nice. Then I'd have to rescind my request to empty the mini bar in advance...

first, has anyone done this? how is it?

 

second, the time on the internary is 830-1230. we don't leave Cozumel until 7pm, is that time correct or is that just a default time for all excursions? if it is the real time, do they just drop you back at the boat at 1230 and you have the rest of the day to yourself?

 

thanks in advance.

When are you sailing? I have this excursion booked through NCL for my mid-Feb cruise. I will try to remember to post a review when I get back. I won't be able to help with the time issues, though, because we don't even dock until after 12 pm for that port.

A simple purchase cannot be completed. Take my money!!! ...and they can't. Unreal.

This would be like walking into a store, buying something advertised as on sale, and walking out with an empty box, only to get home, call to complain and have them say "but at least we didn't charge you for it..." OK, but now I don't have what I thought I bought. Grrrr. :mad:

Good to know it's not just me. Good luck with your purchase. I couldn't deal with staying on hold. I still have to email the pre-concierge my requests, so I'll also ask them about this. I'll post back if I get any kind of helpful response.

Earlier this week, I tried to pre-purchase the unlimited wifi package as well as a 6 bottle water package for my upcoming February cruise. Although I got a confirmation screen, I never received a confirmation of the purchase, it does not show in my vacation summary, and it never hit my credit card. I figured I would give it all a few days to hit, but it never did. So today, I called the 800 number, and after a LONG time on hold, gave up and decided to purchase through the website again. THE SAME THING HAPPENED. Got a confirmation, but not in my summary, no email confirm, and no charge/hold on my credit card.

Is this the sort of thing that the pre-concierge can handle? I wanted to pre-purchase, not use my OBC so I don't want to wait to sort it out while on board. I had a similar issue when I made my Illusionarium reservation, except that I did get a confirm and it showed in my summary. However, my card was not charged and when it came time for final payment, my TA said the account was showing a balance owing for "entertainment," which I paid at that time. I realize I still have a bit of time (36 days!) to sort this all out, but I am aggravated now and want it resolved.

Sorry to disagree about the price point being higher, but I'm finding that RC's new ships are on the expensive side. Cunard and Celebrity seem to charge more than NCL, and from what I have seen Carnival, Princess and HAL all seem comparable to what NCL charges. JMO.

I agree. And I'll go further and say that Carnival is the only one that is consistently lower than NCL. At least that is what I have found during peak travel times (aka school breaks). I like NCL. I've enjoyed the cruises I have been on, which makes them my first choice, but I still shop around. If I found better prices on a ship that offered comparable or better amenities, I would take it. So far, that hasn't happened.

Wow, great point, I didn't even think of that. Yes they a 4 and 6 months old now, so that would be a huge pita....I guess decision is made, lol thanks

LOL. Glad to be of service! ;)

I would love if NCL did this. I like to do early walk off, but hate schlepping my luggage while doing so (as a single mom, the only one dealing with luggage is me - no extra hands to help). I would gladly pay for this service since it would make life much easier for me if I only had to worry about carry-on bags.

When you say "baby" I am assuming that your grandkids are infants or toddlers. Based on that, I personally would do Gem out of NY just to avoid the hassle of flying with small kids. I sail Breakaway and Getaway with my tween dd because she needs all of those bells and whistles (slides, ropes course, rock climbing, etc.), but without a kid in tow that cares about that stuff I'd be more inclined to sail a smaller ship and certainly out of my home port of NY. (Having sailed Breakaway out of NY, I can't tell you how much I love disembarking and being home shortly thereafter without having airport travel ruin my relaxed vacation vibe!)

Do I like the bigger ships? Sure - I love the dining options and entertainment. But many of those options are on the smaller ships, too. As long as you are happy with the Gem when you are on it next week, I would book that one again for your March trip. If you prefer variety and flights etc with young kids doesn't bother you, the Breakaway class ships (like Getaway) are great so go for it. It's all about what is most important to you. I can't tell you what to do - only what I would do in your shoes.

I haven't been on the Gem, but my parents have sailed her several times and loved it. Enjoy both your upcoming trips, whichever you choose!

We just booked a cruise on the Breakaway for Feb 26, 2017 out of NYC to the Bahamas. (Yay!)

 

But we found ourselves wondering about the weather. As the username says, I'm from Ottawa, and I know NYC is around the same average weather as we get. And that can be pretty damn cold at the end of February.

 

Anyone done these type of cruises before? I guess you can't swim the day you board :) Are you having to wear jackets when going to dinner and on deck? How is this managed?

 

And how long into day 2 until you are warm? How fast do they motor to get to Orlando?

 

Thanks in advance for any info you all can share.

When I did the FL/Bahamas cruise on Breakaway, it was chilly on day 1, but there were still some crazy people in the (heated) pools/hot tubs. By mid afternoon on the second day (first sea day) it was in the upper 60's, and while I was perfectly happy to keep my jeans/tee shirt/light sweater on, my dd was perfectly happy to let loose on the slides and in the pool. I don't think you need a jacket on the first day when you go to dinner (although I always carry a sweater with me in case of cold air conditioning), but will need one if you plan on spending much time out on deck.

As far as motoring to get to orlando, I think we docked around noon and were off the ship around 1pm for our space center excursion (which I highly recommend).

Hope this helps. Happy cruising!

MyNCL tells me that on Getaway, a la carte menus will be in place for sailings starting 2/14/16.

My membership was well worth the purchase fee. One thing that I wanted to add is that if you are booking online you may have difficulty combining promos, and so may need to call a PCC or TA to get both the AARP and other promos on your booking. When I did mock bookings online, it would only allow me to select either AARP or Freestyle Choice, but not both. My TA had no trouble getting me both the AARP discount and all promo perks. I also got my extra lattitudes points for booking early.

On breakaway, when rock of ages started at 6:30, they opened the kids club early to accommodate it. Perhaps someone who has been on Escape can confirm if they do that on Escape as well.

Can't help with the dinner reservations issue. It is what it is.

I don't think the explanation is relegated to the fine print in the t&c's. It may not be the headline, but if you scroll down to the explanation of the perks, it's pretty clear, even without reading the full t&c's.

And it is possible for an excursion to be free under the promos. Less likely given the cost of most ship excursions, but on my upcoming cruise I have one excursion planned that will be free when the credit is applied (although I booked back when it was $75 per port, so I'm sure that makes a difference).

Not the same, but I was in 14138 two years ago and it was lovely: