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Great feedback! Thanks!

Thanks - that is good to know.

Hi I have tried searching for this, but cannot find anything recent and I have never travelled solo. I am Sapphire Latitudes in an OV and I have one FAS dinner. I am travelling with another couple in a balcony with two FAS dinners and also entitled to the two Latitudes Sapphire "Dinner for Two" vouchers (one with one, one without). Will I receive the normal two "Dinner for Two" vouchers? I know I cannot have two solo dinners with one voucher i.e 4 latitudes dinners for me, but am I able to use each latitudes voucher to bring someone with me? Thanks all!

Thanks! I understand now. Good tip.

Thanks! On the deck plan map, it doesn’t look like there is a lifeboat in front - was it a smaller boat? Was the bed up against the window? Why did it take up space more than normal? I don’t think that cabin is available, but it is all interesting!

What cabin number is this on the Gem? I think the Jade is same. Was it a traditional cabin or one with the bed sideways to the window? Thanks!

Hi all i am considering booking an Obstructed Ocean View on the Jade. I have searched online, but trying to work out the windows/ port holes. Are the “sideways” staterooms the only ones with picture windows and the bed parallel to the window. Do all the traditionally aligned staterooms have the two long skinny windows? I would prefer the larger picture window. Any advice regarding the Obstructed OV staterooms would be appreciated. I know if applying to upgrade, you pay double. If you are a sole occupant in a stateroom, are you less likely to achieve an upgrade or if they are getting double the bid, are you the same as everyone else? Many thanks!

On the ship, they do not give you the $50 shore excursion credit up front, like when you book in advance, it is refunded after you have completed the excursion. But the Sapphire discount is often not applied automatically onboard. I had to go back and query the amount charged, as they only applied the discount to one of us, when both of us were Sapphire and I booked in person! We booked onboard to use up our onboard credit. The Shore ex desk has limited hours after the first day, so try and sort early.

The current description says “for flights after 6 pm”. I don’t think we would want to arrive at the airport at 1:45 pm. Was it the same for “flights after” time when you went? The shuttle simulator is supposed to be a highlight, so I wouldn’t want to miss it.

Hi all Has anyone done this tour with NCL recently? Just wondering how much time is spent at the Space Station and what time you leave to go to the airport, and what time do you arrive at the airport? In a really old review, it mentioned the cruise excursion gets fast tracked through the displays, so wondering if this is still the case? We don't want to short change our experience too much. We will not have a car and do not want to drive there so the cruise excursion may fit nicely if the times are right.

When were you able to book excursions for the land portion? Is it clear which ones you can do that fit in with the itinerary? We are doing the 15 day connoisseur, so three nights in Kenai and no Copper River. Are there private options, as well as Princess excursions? Thanks for your interesting report.

We did an NCL cruise just prior to Covid (Jan 2020) and three of us received a dinner for two card each and the same the year before. Does anyone know if the Gem has changed to any two specialty restaurants, as last July on the Epic it was the traditional choice even though other ships were reporting the any two specialty restaurants?

If we have two Sapphire people in the one room, do we receive 2 cards (for 4 Specialty dining) or one (for 2 Specialty dining) now? In the past we have all received one each per Platinum and above person sailing. Have all ships changed over to the use the vouchers in any specialty restaurant? I am specifically interested in the Gem. When we cruised last year it was still the two choices and that is still on their website. Thanks!

We were on the same cruise. Our first shore excursion booked months before cruising was paid using our onboard credit. The second excursion was paid with the balance of our onboard credit and my credit card. When the second excursion was cancelled, instead of reimbursing my credit card they gave us onboard credit for the entire amount, even though only $15 was paid with onboard credit. I spoke to guest services and they insisted this could not have happened even though it happened to our two groups. We only found this out with one day to go and had to spend this credit onboard or we would have lost it. On our account it was separated into refundable and non refundable credit. We spent our non refundable credit buying overpriced items in the shops. We are still waiting to receive our refundable credit, but it said around 14 days depending on our bank. With public holidays, I hope I will it be there next week, but it was very annoying that my credit card payments turned into non refundable onboard credit.

You are really missing out if you do not see Priscilla. I saw the stage show live at the theatre. The show on the Epic was full length and one of the best ship shows I have seen - comparable with the theatre version. The music is excellent - full of songs you will know and very toe tapping. The costumes are bright and colourful. We had to book in for one of the two nights it was showing. It received a standing ovation from the crowd. Do not miss! You also had to book for Burn the Floor which was good latin style dancing and music. You also had to book for the Cirque show which was similar to other ones but done in the round theatre (Spiegel tent). The Cavern Club show with the Beatles is good, especially for Beatles' fans and gets quite crowded. The duelling pianos were popular. There wasn't much on during the day, I assume because the itinerary was very port intensive. We couldn't even play shuffleboard unless the ship was sailing.

We booked and paid for an excursion in Dunedin for the railway and our ship was diverted to Wellington due to the weather. The operator happily refunded us which was a huge relief. In Tauranga we booked a private tour as we wanted to go to Hobbiton and Rotorua and ship did not offer both. We only paid at the end of the day. It was one of our best days! I only ever book ship tours if it is a tender port. In the other ports, we were there until 7 pm and 9:30 pm, so there was plenty of time to return before dinner time without any stress.

Hi If it is refundable credit, you need to go to the cashier or service desk and collect it in US cash. I would recommend collecting it before the last night/day and if necessary, going into debit as the queues are terrible on the last night and morning. If it is non-refundable credit, you need to spend it! Check which it is, as a lot of credit is only for use onboard. We ended up with some refundable credit as a prepaid excursion was cancelled. I used my non-refundable credit to pay for a new excursion and the prepaid credit was refunded, but I had to ensure they used it that way.

Oh thanks all. I didn't know you shouldn't plus directly into USB ports. Something to remember at airports!

I tried a search, but no useful results. What type of power outlets does the Epic have in balcony cabins? European or US or both? Any USB or USB - C ports? We have converters. Thanks in advance!

Thanks all for your responses. I will stick with our early check in time and hope for the best. After a long nervous wait booking just after borders opened, it is nearly here! 😀 I am hoping Priscilla will be playing by the end of the month (good Aussie show haha!)

Thanks! So after checking in, what happens? Do we just sit around and wait for boarding? Are we able to leave the port and look around again if embarkation is going to be a while? If we are Latitudes Priority Boarding, what time are we likely to be able to board?

Hi all We are boarding the Epic in Barcelona at the end of this month. The ship has a rolling itinerary - some people boarded in Civitavecchia (Rome), so I was wondering how check in worked in these circumstances? I have only ever checked in as a suite guest, but we are in a balcony stateroom this trip. Sapphire latitudes will give us priority boarding though. What happens in the morning after check in? Are we allowed on the ship straight away? Can we access ship facilities and dining rooms? If we choose an early check in time, can we board, have a look around and then go off the ship again? I see we can book times for the Main dining rooms - is this necessary? I have done all my speciality bookings. I have never been on one of the large NCL ships, do you need to book shows? What is the Spiegel tent and do we need to book it? This one may be harder - is there a bar on the ship likely to be showing the Australian Rugby League State of Origin game? It televises on Fox US around midday the day of boarding. If not on the ship, we may have to find a Sports bar in Barcelona. ☺️ Appreciate any assistance!

We have been on this cruise twice and both times we hired cars on certain days. For both cruises we hired a car on the first day in Maui, as there was no limit on what time we returned. We did have trouble on the second cruise getting picked up outside the port and two of us ended up walking to the depot which was not too far away. Make sure you book from Kahului (the first time, our travel agent nearly booked us a car at Lahaina). The first time we went zip lining at Kaanapali and golfing at Kapalua. The second time we drove to Iao Needle and then on to Lahaina. The first day in Kauai is the other good day to book. The first time we drove around to Waimea, stopping along the way. The second time we drove in the other direction to Hanalei Bay and stopped along the way at the various falls. The driving on these islands is fairly easy for Australians not used to the other side of the road. We took out full insurance cover so we didn't have to worry about anything! We hired a car in Oahu the first time we were there and did our own "Circle" tour which was good.The GPS even had sights preprogrammed into it e.g. Chinaman's hat, etc. It was a little stressful returning in the afternoon with all the traffic. If I had the time, I would split it over two days. It depends what you want to do on the other days. There are good excursions from Kona and being a tender port, we went with the ship zodiac boat trip to Kealakekua Bay (where Captain Cook died) - fabulous snorkelling! Kona is an easy port to walk around without a car if you don't want to go anywhere. We went to the Volcano National Park the first time in Hilo. The second time we had a really fun kayak excursion which was through the ship.