pugrads

Wondering how big the bags are & are they per person or per cabin?  We'll be traveling 2 days pre-cruise then the 7 days of the cruise in May to Greece (Jade).  Trying to think of making sure we have enough to get us through to the bag deal day.  Would rather spend our money on fun stuff than laundry 🙂

I hope I'm not repeating this question - I couldn't find it on the board.  We have some reservations for specialty restaurants & want to adjust them due to some changes in our plans/excursions.  Can I do that online or do I have to call?

9 minutes ago, Coffeeluvr05 said:

We just came back from a cruise on NCL and when you have the specialty dining package you can ignore the a la carte pricing on the menu.  You get to select a course from each section on the menu.  At the end they do give you a check showing what your bill would have been but you owe zero.  We loved the Italian restaurant the most and went there twice!

Thank you!  I wondered if that would be the case.

We're not new to cruising, but are new to NCL - will be on the Jade in May to Greece.  We have the Free at Sea package with 2 specialty dining meals, but wondered how that worked at the a la carte restaurants.  My understanding of the a la carte is it's like a traditional restaurant where you pay for what you order or where things are priced individually; whereas the regular specialty dining is just more of a cover/up charge.  Is that correct?  I've tried finding specifics on the boards but I haven't found anything.  On Celebrity, there wasn't a difference so just wanted to know what to expect if there was a difference.  Thanks!

On 7/5/2022 at 11:49 PM, fshepinc said:

I've sailed both lines, and have a strong preference for Celebrity. The food is orders of magnitude better than NCL's offerings. The only area where I would rate NCL higher than Celebrity is onboard entertainment, and that will vary with personal taste and from ship to ship. My last NCL cruise was aboard the Bliss, and they offered the full production of the musical SIX, which just picked up a couple of Tony Awards on Broadway. 

 

After aqua on Celebrity you may find NCL a bit of a letdown, but the destination should more than make up for it. Have a wonderful time!

Thank you!  I had a feeling NCL would not be the same, but as you said, the destination & fare/deals we got really were the deciding factor for us.  We likely won't spend a lot of time on the ship given we've never been to Greece & since there are no full sea days, I'm less concerned.  And it's still not like a Carnival atmosphere - at least not with that itinerary (hopefully!)

Hi all,

We just booked our first NCL cruise on the Jade to the Greek Isles!!  We've sailed Celebrity Summit (aquaclass level) 3 times & have always had amazing experiences.  We have a Club Suite balcony & know that NCL doesn't have the private dining room like Celebrity (Blue) with our level of room, nor does is have the Thalassotherapy pool (both of which we loved).  The ships look very similar in size, but hoping those who have sailed on both can highlight some of the differences - both good and bad.

Thanks in advance!  

Thank you for these!  We just booked this for May 2023. I know it may change a bit but we’ve never cruised NCL so it’s nice to get an idea of how they do their dailies. 
 

One question - the specialty restaurants have some that are a’la carte & othered that are just the cover/up charge. We’ve sailed Celebrity & those are just the upcharge, so how does a’la carte charge work with the specialty dining promo?

thanks!

On 6/8/2022 at 4:28 PM, ECOHEN69 said:

Do not book any flights with NCL air promo.  It’s been nothing but a disaster.  It’s a gimmick.  You don’t save any dollars in the long run and they don’t ticket the air until a few weeks before sailing.  We are to go in a July 3 Norwegian star cruise out of Southampton and still not ticketed.  We chose departure out of Miami so we would be able to get a nonstop and instead of a nonstop to heathrow they are sending us to gatwick which is a good 40 minutes farther to London.  It’s also not nonstop.  Here’s the kicker.  They had my wife and I departing on June 30th for the July 3rd cruise which we requested and then had my daughter on a flight without us 2 days later.  It’s a total disaster!!  Take an air credit and do yourself a 

favor and pick your seats at time of booking cruise.  You are only causing yourself aggravation.  NCL is the worst cruise line of them all and very disorganized.  Take it from me as I’ve been on 50 cruises.

 

 

We just booked our Greek Isles cruise for 2023 & got the free air option but after going through the details with the agent on the phone, I have concerns given we have NO control over which flights are chosen & we were told upgrades were NOT available at our expense. We won't pay in full until January so we have some time to see what air rates will be & if we should just forego the NCL air/hassle & pay for 2 tickets on our own, even if it costs more.  

ECHOHEN69 - When you say "take an air credit" what does that mean?  Or does that even apply in this case?

We are nailing down our 3/18 cruise with our teenage daughter & her friend. My husband & I normally sail Celebrity alone & a much smaller ship than the Getaway, but with two teenagers who are athletic, we know they would be completely bored on Celebrity ;p. We want side by side mid-ship balcony on either 11th or 13th floor (no adjoining available at this point). There are open areas on the deck plan graphics & wondered if those are actually open (like part of the atrium) or are the service areas for stewards; Additionally, is there noise that comes from the 2nd floor Splash area? I presume there's not an entrance into the 2nd floor entrance to Splash from a security standpoint - is that correct?

Thanks in advance!

Thanks everyone - I guess I should have clarified.... I'm used to eating smaller snacks like fruit throughout the day & have lived in NC & now SW FL, I'm very familiar with how to pack snacks for the heat & the bug/disease issues with fresh fruit. Some hotels offer the pre-packaged granola bars, etc. they offer for a quick "grab & go" breakfast so just wondering about those. It's not our first cruise & certainly not our first trip to the islands, so we know there may be opportunities to stop for snacks & there may not... depends on the island, tour, etc. I'll be sure to pack some protein bars we like & go from there!

We will be sailing on the Summit 12/3/16 & are looking at a well reviewed tour in St. Kitts that's essentially all day. My concern is they provide "snacks" during the day rather than providing a full lunch. I've clarified with the tour operator that they are "heavy pastries"... whatever that means :confused: So my question is there an option for something like a bag lunch that can be ordered? I can't remember from previous trips if I saw anything like that - in large part because I wasn't looking for it. I just don't want my husband or me to get "hangry" & have a less than enjoyable afternoon :D

Thanks!

How much is the taxi to cruzan

Thanks

DRAKE - do you have any updated preferred taxi drivers? I've found some older ones, but not sure if they're still around. My husband & I will be there 12/4/16 with Celebrity & want to go to Cruzan &/or Captain Morgan's distilleries but not with the masses. Is it possible to do both in the same day (prefer Cruzan to CM because it's less commercialized)?

Thanks!