picodrive

6 hours ago, Island Beachdog said:

If you are wanting any privacy, the only thing I would even consider is the 2 bedroom haven suite.  When they have the the 3rd & 4th passenger free as one of the promotional perks, it works out to be reasonably affordable.  We did that traveling with two relatives and it worked out really well. 

i totally agree!  That is the only option other than 2 cabins.

I was just on the Pearl recently and I brought my own. I agree that often pieces are missing in games on board. You can get several games for $5 each at Walmart (scrabble a bit more) and they fit nicely in a small duffle bag. I also brought a puzzle which we worked on all week and finished on the last day. You then can donate them to the ship or carry them back home. It is a wonderful way to have quality family time.

Just got off the Pearl for the second time recently. Did Alaska out of Seattle and the Western Carribean out of New Orleans. It is beautiful and awesome!! I have not been on the Jade but would go back to the Pearl in a heartbeat!!! It was my 24th cruise. Love NCL!!!

We are leaving on the Epic on December 22nd and are flying into Orlando on December 21st. We are looking for transportation to our hotel (Radisson Resort by the Port). We are two families of 10 people.

 

Any recommendations you can give would be appreciated. Thank you :)

I just made this trip last week and used Arroyo Luxury Transportation. We had used them before and were totally pleased. Very dependable and prompt. Picked us up at our hotel near the Orlando airport and transported us to Port Canavernal. Then after the Epic cruise, took us back to the airport.$120 each way for 4 people with luggage. We gave the driver an extra tip. Highly recommend! Ask for Felix and tell him you heard about him from Michelle. 407-275-6500 office or 407-925-8219 cell.

So we booked while on board and then transferred to a TA because we got some awesome perks with her. This is our first time doing this...how do we book excursions and such?

 

 

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After you select what you want with day and time, ask your TA to make the reservations for you. They are usually happy to do that.

I just got off of the Eclipse on Oct. 8th and had a great experience with John Escobar. He could not have been more helpful to myself and everyone in our group. Sorry you felt you had to give him a bad review. I got excellent service and I gave John a 10+!! :)

We are a family of 7, 2 balcony cabins are thousand cheaper than a suite for what would fit us.

Other than the Garden Villa I do not know of any suite on any ship that sleeps 7. Please advise me if I am wrong.

NO, but I believe you can invite them to your room.

Thank you very much for the replies! Your answers were exactly the information I was looking for.

 

Cheers!

I agree with deck 17. I have been on twice and you will love the Haven! You will not hear noise even back from the front which is what I prefer.

Enjoy the Haven restaurant, the lounge and private bar. The sundecks on both 17 and 18 are wonderful. Truly a special place to be totally spoiled!! :)

I did this trip in March and would recommend you sign up for the ship tours. I did Today in Havanna and the The life of Ernest Hemingway in Cuba but there are many more to choose from including evening entertainment venues. If you follow instructions from NCL or your travel agent you will have the proper documentation when you arrive. Of course take your passport.

I stayed in this room in January. We had 2 adults in the master and 2 adults in the second bedroom double bed. I think you could put 2 small children on the couch in the main room or 1 adult. Can't imagine a third person in the second bedroom. It is small.

Thank you! I definitely plan on doing some digging after I posted this to make sure it is the right cruise for us. But since we need to make a decision fast, I thought I would start with a post!

Our family loves Norwegian!!! We have been on the Sky, Star, Sun, Jewel, Dawn, Getaway and Escape. Never a bad experience. We will be on the Pearl in August and can't wait! I think you will be happy too!!

I haved not read your replys but I can honestly tell you what has worked fantastically for my family. NCL is our "go to" cruise line for family cruises. We have taken 10 cruises since 2013. NCL has a family suite that holds 6 people. It is a lovely big room and we have been very satisfied. Since there are 8 of us, 4 adults and 4 kids, we reserve 2 rooms but for 5, one family suite would work well. NCL has a terrific kids club and the newer ships have numerous venues for kids of all ages. I don't think you will be disappointed. I recommend you use a Travel Agent since they can answer any questions you have plus they can offer extra perks you might miss by going thru the cruise line alone. Good luck and happy sailing!! :)

Would you pay Disney prices if you were not a Disney fan?

No, try NCL. That is where we cruise with our family. You can get rooms that hold up to 6. We are 8 so we get 2 rooms (2 adults and 2 kids). Great Kids Club and other amenities. Love it!

A few days before our March 13th cruise we got a call from an Oceania sales manager asking if he could show our Oceania suite to some people after we boarded. We gave him a resounding no. Why would I want a number of strangers walking around our suite especially in these days of concern about contagion?

 

Last year an Oceania employee came to our suite right after we boarded with the same request. He was standing there with a group of people and we sent him away.

 

I guess I should feel better that they called this year in advance but somehow I don't.

I was really PO'd on our March 13 Riviera cruise because when we boarded at 11, and were allowed to go directly to our Vista Suite, there was a very large group touring our suite. I was really pissed about that and told the person from Guest Services that this was not appropriate. There were about 17 people in this group, who were on board to do some pre-planning for an upcoming college alumni cruise in 2017.

Not acceptable to have a group in your suite after it has been "hopefully" cleaned for your arrival. I am shocked to hear this happened. I would say no to a group tour also if asked.

IMO, it is not a good idea to compare NCL to Oceania as they are different as one could possibly imagine. If you expect the same amenities on Oceania as on NCL, you will be disappointed because Oceania has small ships that do not have enough room to accommodate what NCL ships have. Also, you are not nickeled and dimed like you are on NCL. If NCL passengers do not do "due diligence" (research) about Oceania cruises, you could be very disappointed.

 

The food on Oceania is amazing, the suites are as well (not so much the smaller cabins). However, there is a lot less activity on Oceania than there is on NCL. Unless school is not in session, children are looked upon as a nuisance. Entertainment is mediocre. Unless you are on an itinerary with a lot of sea days, there is little to do onboard. For those of that sail on Oceania (not necessarily us), cruises can be quite boring but that is what we are looking for........ quiet, sedate, relaxing..................

The point of my post is to make sure that you are ready for the Oceania experience. Do research........ look at reviews. Otherwise, you will be spending more money for an experience that may not meet your expectations.

Travelcat2,

I think you have covered the differences perfectly! We just started cruising the summer of 2012 and have done 7 NCL and 6 Oceania (Marina & Riviera).

Love family cruises on NCL and ones with just the two of us on Oceania. Highly recommend both cruise lines, just know what your are looking for!

Just home from Bermuda cruise in this great suite. Would be happy to answer any questions about the amenities/set up of this cabin. 10006

So glad you liked it! We will be in 10006 November 20th with 2 grandsons for our 50th Anniversary cruise, our daughter, son-in-law, and 2 granddaughters will be right below in 90006 and rest of the party (4) will be in 12532. We were on the Dawn a couple of years ago and loved it! Heard it is scheduled for Dry Dock May 18th. Who was your Butler? Ours before was Jennifer. Will have more questions soon!

we (two couples) have stayed in both sj and sg family suites on the star. We really enjoyed both staterooms. We vacation and cruise with our best friends fairly often and trade off who gets the good bed. We got the couch as bed in the sg suite and although we are plus size range had no problem sleeping in it. The balcony is not big enough for four to sit comfortably. Our sg did not have the small dining table and four chairs that we had in the sj. We missed it because we like to play games but the room is smaller so i'm not sure how well it would fit.

 

We didn't find the lack of balcony a problem with the sj. It is a short walk to the pool as you are on the proper deck. We love the full wall of windows. If we were going to pick an ideal sj for four (no murphy bed in these two) we would choose either 12530 or 12030. The bend in the window wall gives you a wider range of view. They do include the table and chairs.

 

There are some videos on youtube of both types of family suites.

I agree with you 100%. If you can't get the above SJ rooms try for the handicapped SJ 12532. It feels bigger. Has a hugh shower but no tub. Cabins are right across from the library. We have had all of them and been happy on the star 4 times with 2 adults and 2 boys in the room. :)

I'm on hold right now with a rep who went to talk to a supervisor.

I'll post what I find out.

Go to "Seatrade Cruise News". According to them, 'Million Dollar Quartet' is moving to Getaway. There are some other show changes that are explained in the article.

I sailed with Karin a couple months ago. She was rude to me on a couple of occasions. Not a horrible concierge, but not very good either. She acts as if she doesn't have the power to get things done and when she can't she can get very testy.

 

Not a fan.

We sailed on the Sun Dec. 19 - Jan 2 and we could not have been happier with Karin! She helped us in so many ways, always with a big smile. Love Karin!!

In addition to the tennis shoes, I would bring cheap water shoes that can be used on the beach or pool side (Wall mart already has them as does Target), sandals for casual and a dress pair of shoes.

 

I don't think you will need sandals but agree with the rest plus tennis shoes.

Okay, first off, let me say that this post isn't intended to start a flame war. Rather, it's the opposite - I'm trying to educate myself, and I hope at the same time to provide a valuable thread for others to enjoy.

 

So, having said that - my wife and I have sailed almost exclusively on Regent. We took a foray onto Cunard because of the itinerary...it was okay but not great. It was a good cruise for the money, let's leave it at that.

 

But having read all of the discussions about which luxury line is the best, or the most luxurious, or the most this or that, it got me thinking that there have to be some viable options to always sailing Regent. The problem is that we don't have unlimited time or money to sample all of the options. So I'd like to ask for CIVIL and FAIRLY UNBIASED opinions on the pros and cons of lines other than Regent. We were specifically looking at Crystal, Seabourn, Oceania, and Silversea.

 

I know that different people value different things on a cruise. What we like are open dining, smaller ships, good wine/food, smaller groups on excursions, and comfortable suites. The casino, shows, shopping, etc. are nice but not critical. Variety of ports is a plus as well, which is another bonus of smaller ships.

 

Right now, I'm mostly interested in Seabourn, followed by Oceania and Crystal. Right or wrong, my impressions of those lines are: Seabourn is a nice option but you may be on a larger (1,250 pax) ship; Crystal has fixed dining for the most part, smaller cabins, and a somewhat more reserved clientele; and Oceania is like an a la carte Regent on a slightly lower budget. (I know here is where the flaming may begin, and I'm sorry - that is merely my perceptions from reading these boards for years - it's not based on personal experience!!)

 

I would be grateful - very grateful - if I could get more information of everyone's experiences on other lines and what you all like/dislike about them all - Regent included.

 

I'm going to believe that this won't start a flame war and thank everyone in advance. :D

 

So...thank you.

 

Bill

I can only speak about Oceania Marina (4 cruises) and Riviera (1 cruise). We love the size, 1250 guests, and the newer aspect of the ships. More dining options and award winning food in my opinion than on some smaller ships. We like the Penthouse suites which include a butler and nice amenities. Love the Captains and crew members who always take good care of us! There are a lot of quiet places to relax, have a drink, read a book, etc. We just finished a crossing from Capetown to Rio in December and will be booking our next adventure soon! Recommend you give them a try!

What happened to turn you off Asia ??

I have been to South America around the horn ......never again ...found peope dishonest ,rude and most placesvery dangerous ...no walets,no purses,no jewelry not even costume ...very very low key

Do not take taxis on streets have someone call one for you

I was stopped by armed army officers for walking with a group and our guide in Valparaiso ...i was 6 feet away from our group while our guide was on the phone ..he blasted him for bringing us there and es orted us out of downtown ....very intimidating

My outside pocket of my suitcase with dirty undies and socks was emptied ..true designer undies but ...really ?

When my son put his arms around me I knew someone spotted me

Our guide refused to take us to Santiago for fear his car wouldbe ransacked ...we never visited was told too dangerous

Pickpockets are everywhere ...like I saidnever again ...by the way I am fluent in Spanish so language was not a barrier

Good luck in South America

Our family of 8 just returned from 14 days around the "Horn" on the NCL Sun and it was one of the best cruises we have ever taken! We did all private tours including a tour of Santiago and 2 wineries in Casablanca upon arrival, a tour at Puerto Chacabuco to a country farm for empanadas, pisco sour, Chilean wine and traditional dances, and a 6 hr tour to Volunteer Point in the Falkland Islands to see thousands of penguins which was incrediable! It was a great trip which I would repeat in a heartbeat!! Sorry your experience was not as good.

Contact the NCL access desk prior to your cruising with our dietary concerns. Once on board you can contact the food service professionals who will be aware of your specific issues. Here is the contact info:

 

Other Needs or Challenges

 

Norwegian Cruise Line welcomes guests with medical, emotional or any other challenge to Freestyle cruising. If you have a need that has not been discussed, we encourage you to contact us at the Access Desk regarding your special requirements or requests and our policies and procedures. Please call (866) 584-9756 (voice), fax (305) 468-2171, or send an e-mail to accessdesk@ncl.com, or have your travel agent contact us.

I totally agree with the above! Chances are, the waiter will address you personally every time you sit down to order, regardless of which restaurant it is. NCL does an excellent job with special diet concerns. Just let them know ahead of time.

Michael, thank you for this live report! My family and I will be doing the exact route on the Sun December 19th - January 2nd. I remember folllowing your last adventure and enjoyed it immensley! Keep posting!!!!