brookie848

Those online port schedules are often not correct. I've seen them where they don't even have the ships in the correct cities.

I believe the Dawn is different simply because there is no Haven and no Haven cabins (unless that has changed???), so hopefully they won't be curtailing suite amenities on that ship.

Honestly, I wonder the same thing. 🤣 He is just so used to eating this way that it would be a shock to his system if he ate like a normal person. He will do some things -- sauce for pasta, BBQ sauce if it comes on the meat, but he would never add it on his own. He never uses salt/mayo/ketchup/mustard. No Asian sauces (his Chinese food is just plain and steamed). His gravy is always on the side and he uses a tablespoon amount of it. If it accidentally comes on his food, he scrapes most of it off -- not because he doesn't like the flavor, but because of sodium. He never uses salad dressing. It is insane to me, but he's actually pretty easy to go out to eat with as long as he can modify dishes (we are always apologetic and tip well). I also make him some basic meals that are really simple, and then cook something "good" for myself. It works for us and helps that there are/were some medical reasons for at least some of these restrictions. But I really think VV would be a challenge for him food-wise.

I found this review interesting and informative. We sail in the NCL Haven (or in suites if there is no Haven). I've really looked at Virgin, but I haven't convinced myself this would be a good match for us. First of all, we often have a friend join us on our sailings, so when she comes we always make sure we have a second bedroom and bathroom for her. VV doesn't offer anything like that. Their suites will sleep four, but we want her to have her own space, not camp out in the living room. The food is also a concern for us. My husband is a picky eater -- some of that is because he just is, and others is because of years of dietary restrictions for health issues. From the first time I saw VV's menus, I knew he would have issues. He does basically no sauces/dressings/spreads and he would need to modify a lot of the food. And now reading that they don't make modifications easy has really put me off. The other issue we had seems to be rectified at least a bit -- I don't want to fly to Florida for a short sailing. I want my sailings to be at least 7 nights. I know they are now offering longer sailings, so that is good. And I'll be honest, I'd miss the alcohol package (I know if we were in a high-level suite that might not matter). One of my favorite parts of having a drink package is trying things and if I don't like them, I don't feel as if I need to drink it because I just paid for it. I'll continue to be curious and we might decide to try VV in the future.

The Getaway was our least favorite Haven and I would likely do my best to avoid sailing on it or the Breakaway again. As an FYI, we've been in the Havens on the Epic (x2), Getaway (x1) and the Escape (2x). If you've never sailed in Haven, I'm sure you will enjoy it. We disliked it because the restaurant was TINY and had very few window seats. There was no outdoor seating area. There was no waiting area for the restaurant, so when it got crowded, it spilled over into the bar -- and the bar wasn't overly large. We also like having a roof over the pool area. I would sail the Getaway/Breakaway again if the itinerary was right, but I would definitely consider other options first. The ship itself was fine, but we also missed the wine bar/brew house/Food Republic that the Escape and the newer ships have. The Waterfront is awesome like it is on all the newer ships.

It really depends on the ship. From what I've seen Ocean Blue and Le Bistro are the only specialties that require long pants. There is usually one main dining room that requires pants, but I think that also may vary depending on the ship. Besides the first night, this is enforced in the specialties. As an FYI, jeans count as long pants if you don't want to bring a separate pair of dress pants. My husband has worn the jeans he wore on the plane to restaurants that require long pants.

This is the only NCL excursion we've ever done and we've done it twice. The first time our friend sat at the top with the captain. It was hot that day and the seas were a bit rough. She would aim for wakes from other boats and then duck and everyone got soaked. I actually looked at a couple of houses for rent on White Bay. Something to consider for my husband's retirement next year!

Look at the terms and conditions. The only limitation is one entree. Servers will try to tell you that you get one appetizer and one dessert, but if you look at/print out the terms and conditions it spells out the limitations. We always bring a print out with us on the cruise just in case.

In the past, they have had diet Sierra Mist in cans, but those are difficult to come by. So difficult, in fact, that we had all of them in our DOS on the Dawn a few years ago. Halfway through the week my husband would ask for one at a bar and they didn't have any. We ended up bringing the ones from our cabin. There is a possible solution here, but it is not the simplest thing to do. You can call the special needs department and let them know you need sugar free ginger ale because you are a diabetic (which is true for me) that gets seasick (also true). If they grant you a liquid exemption you are able to carry on what you'd like. Of course, this is once you fight security about it. 😁 We did this for several cruises. It's not ideal, but it is something to consider.