RikkuCat

Definitely the spa mini - we love the spa area, it's so relaxing and adds a lot to the cruise.

We haven't done the spa mini suite, but we've had spa balconies twice. I don't think there's a difference in the room itself, but now that we've done it, we want spa access every time. :D

I'm glad to see this - it shows that NCL is taking a look at profit margins in different areas and they're at least willing to consider making changes that benefit the passenger as well as the company. We like the food at the noodle bar and will definitely eat there. While it was never expensive, it's nice to see them remove a charge from something amidst a number of new/increased charges.

I suspect that the noodle bar on the Breakaway and Getaway has not been as profitable as they expected it to be, probably due to the weird location next to/inside the casino. While we like the food there, the ambiance is weird and the lingering smell of cigarettes is a turn-off...we only go at lunch, when the casino is quieter and there are fewer people smoking there. Between the weird ambiance, the smoke issue, and the low a la carte prices that the restaurant charged, I can't imagine that NCL made much money there, so they might as well make it free.

No, we won't be doing anything differently from usual on this cruise.

I've never considered reducing the DSC, but would consider doing so if we received bad service - that has always been my policy and it does not change now. I don't expect to receive service poor enough that I would consider adjusting the DSC, but I don't expect better service than usual, either.

As far as bar/dining auto-gratuities go, we have always tipped at least 20% and will continue to do so unless we encounter poor service. Slow service is not an issue (it happens and is rarely the server's fault directly), but rudeness is an issue. We've never met a rude server or bartender on a NCL ship, but we would consider removing the autogratuity if we did.

In either case, removing or adjusting the gratuity would be my last-resort option, if a manager could not resolve the problem. We are easy to please - to upset us, you need to do something pretty serious, which should be brought to a manager's attention regardless of how I intend to tip.

From 1/2 the threads on here, you can get the impression that many folks want to to give up on cruises. I guess it is a sin for cruise companies to realize a profit or their workforce to get some sort of raise. All the new builds need to be paid for.

 

Unless you are camping or staying in budget hotels cruising is still a great deal. NCL gives options, you take 'em or leave 'em. I personally like the options, like all the different specialty resturants. HAL, Carnival, RCCL, Celebrity and Princess do not offer the variety that NCL does. I have sailed all those lines and the product NCL offers I perfer over the others.

 

No I will not quit cruising my self. It is still one of the best vacation deals.

I agree completely. While we enjoy other types of vacations as well, we spend signficantly less on a cruise than we spend on any other vacation. Even with the new charges, I don't think we're going to see much of a difference in our bottom line. Certainly not enough to make us quit cruising or quit NCL - and our bottom line will still come out significantly less than it would if we took a non-cruise vacation instead. That's why we cruise occassionally. It doesn't meet all 100% of our travel needs, but it's a good deal - and while we don't take vacations to save money, sometimes we're looking for a good deal.

And while we always compare cruise lines when we're thinking about booking a cruise, we won't rule NCL out because of the new charges. Sometimes it will be the best option for us and other times it won't. We like that NCL has more specialty dining options and don't mind paying extra for them. Whatever cruise line we go on, there are some features that we don't mind paying extra for and some included features that we never use.

The two that we have booked for our Getaway cruise are the same price. Not sure about others offered - I didn't take note of prices unless we were booking it.

Thanks, that's really helpful! We'll probably walk it - it's not very far and I'm sure it'll be a pleasant walk. People seem to be divided on which restaurant they like best, so we'll pick whichever one speaks to us, like you said! :)

@CruisinCrow I read your blog post and it was incredibly helpful - thank you for sharing. Actually...that looks like EXACTLY what we're looking for and doesn't look shady at all. We wouldn't have a problem with waiting - that's what we expect in the islands. Food looks good, too. I think we may go over to the Fish Fry after all - now, to decide which restaurant to try. Did you walk, taxi, or take the jitney? I'd like to walk if it's not too hot - looks like it's about a mile and a half or so?

@nokidz We haven't tried the Senor Frogs in Nassau, but a friend LOVES it. Actually, I think we've only been to the one in San Juan - we went in for a drink in the late afternoon and there weren't many people there, but they started bringing out the drunk-people "spin the wheel" game! I laughed and told them that it was WAY too early (and I was WAY to sober) to spin the wheel. It still makes me giggle to think about it. I somehow ended up with mardi gras beads (did not do anything traditionally done to obtain them, though!) and a random whistle, which became a running joke for that vacation.

@LetsGetCruising I've heard that about Atlantis - and also that the food isn't very good there. We'll definitely skip that one!

I want to see the new room service menu. With the current menu - no, we would not pay the charge to order something because the selections suck. We've only ordered once or twice ever. But if they start offering a better selection, we'll consider it. If a full breakfast menu was available, I wouldn't have a problem paying a fee to order. $7.95 seems high, but I'd pay it once or twice to have a hot breakfast on our balcony.

Can anyone recommend a good place in Nassau to get some lunch? Ideally, we're looking for a place that has outdoor seating, serves conch/seafood, and is within about a 20-minute walk from the port. Somewhere we can sit outside with drinks for a couple of hours and enjoy the breeze if we choose to.

I've heard about the Fish Fry area and considered going there on a previous stop in Nassau, but did something else instead. Recent reviews, however, are more mixed - some describing the area as "shady," others talking about bad food or service. I usually take reviews with a grain of salt because opinions are very subjective, but when I see multiple reviews with the same complaint, I start to wonder. Has anyone been there recently? Were you uncomfortable? (I know "shady" is relative and would describe our comfort level as average - we are not often uneasy with our surroundings, but we don't purposely venture into unsafe areas.) Also, do any of the Fish Fry restaurants have outdoor seating? I can't tell from reviews.

Is there a better option, perhaps closer to the port? We don't have any big plans for Nassau - just a leisurely lunch, poke around in some stores, and perhaps check out the Queen's Staircase and Fort Fincastle, neither of which we've made it to in previous trips. We don't mind walking a bit to find a good lunch spot and don't care if it's overpriced - I'm sure every place is, to some extent. Any ideas?

We never used room service on an NCL cruise. I thought the menu absolutely sucked to the point of almost being a joke. It was like they didn't want people to order anything, so they made the choices so limited.

I agree with this 100%. We've only ordered room service once ever on NCL because the menu sucks. I'm interested to see the "enhanced menu." While I think $7.95 is ridiculous for room service, I'd pay a couple bucks for room service for breakfast if they offered a full menu.

Does anyone know if there is a smaller version of the brownie sundae available? I know, I could order it and just not eat it all...but it seems like a terrible crime to waste iced cream.

I want to see this "enhanced room service menu." I wouldn't pay $7.95 for anything on the old NCL room service menu. I think a dollar or two is reasonable for room service, but $7.95 seems excessive - especially for what is offered. But if the new menu is a full breakfast menu, we'd probably order once or twice, even at $7.95.

I feel bad for those who like to order a pot of coffee and a pastry and relax before leaving the cabin - $7.95 for that is ridiculous and missing out on it will affect your enjoyment of the cruise. I also enjoy breakfast on the balcony, but I've always thought the breakfast room service selections sucked - big time. I usually get a coffee from the atrium cafe and then head up to the buffet to bring some food back to the room. I hate the main buffet - too crowded - but on the Breakaway I liked the smaller outdoor buffet on Deck 14 or 15, can't remember the name. That always worked really well for me - either I'd eat there (also outside) or bring a plate back to the balcony. DH is on his own as punishment for sleeping late - though I'll share with him if he's awake when I get back. I concede that it is hard to carry food for two people - but you could do it if you both went out. I also concede that this method would be inconvenient for people who drink more coffee than I do, as you'd have to carry multiple tiny cups. But it works for me.

For those who are worried about leaving the cabin before showering - don't worry about it. It's like the bathing suit at the beach thing - lots of people will look WAY worse than you. ;)

People still seem to like the wings, but we didn't like them as much as Blue Lagoon's wings. We ordered them a couple times, in hopes that we received a bad batch the first time - but no luck, they're just not as good. That was on the Breakaway - we'll give them one more shot on our upcoming Getaway cruise.

I read a lot of raves about the chicken pot pie - tried it and it was only Ok to me. I'd eat it again, but it's nothing special. We had the corned beef sandwich several times - that was probably our favorite. DH liked the burger and hotdog (maybe it was chili dog?) there, but there wasn't anything that really knocked my socks off. We like O'Sheehans for bar food snacks and it's worth a couple of trips there for a sandwich, but I wouldn't want to eat there every day. We save it for times when we're hungry between meals.

FYI, they are also open for breakfast and they have some dinner specials. We went there for dinner on the first night of our Breakaway cruise and may have ordered whatever the special was that night. We did not make it there for breakfast, but might try it out for breakfast this cruise.

I'm in the minority around here, but I've never worried about our bar tab without the UBP. Never kept track of it, never worried about the price of a drink, and never decided not to have a drink due to cost. We're not high-rollers or anything - it's just a cost that we budget for vacations, so we're prepared to pay it. We've never been very far off in our estimates, either - except for our very first cruise, when we over-budgeted for drinks, expecting bar prices to be similar to what we pay at home. We were pleasantly surprised that NCL's drink prices are very reasonable compared to bar prices at home. So for me, the UBP would not provide peace of mind about the bar tab - though I understand the draw of that for those who choose it for that reason.

For me, it comes down to whether or not it would save us any money. If it's offered as a perk, we'll take it - paying nothing for drinks will save us money regardless of how much we drink. If we had to buy it, I think the best we could hope for is to break even - I don't think we've ever had a bar tab of $900, though some cruises may have come close. $600-$700 is about average for our bar tab. So no, I don't think we'd buy it. I think I'd have the opposite problem from what everyone has described - I would stress about drinking enough to justify the cost of the UBP.

Here's what I would do, in your case. Since you would have to pay for the UBP and you're unsure whether you'll break even with the package, don't get it - but set aside the $900 that you would have spent on it. That way, you don't waste money on a package that you don't need, but you'll have the money set aside to pay the bar tab, so no surprises. I sometimes have trouble understanding why people like to prepay for things on cruises - whether you pay beforehand or after the cruise, it's all coming from the same place, right?

Our two Cagney's reservations (booked a month or more ago) have disappeared from the Vacation Summary, but they are still listed on our e-docs. Before I noticed that they were still on the e-docs, I tried to rebook and did not see Cagney's as an option. Either they have reached their limit for prebooking before the cruise (in which case, there will still be reservations available once we board) or there is some sort of glitch in the system. We're on the Getaway as well.

Before I get into our reasons for cruising, I should identify us as NOT exclusive cruisers. We like cruising, but we also enjoy other forms of travel. We're young (early and mid 30s) and have traveled a fair amount - but mostly limited to Europe, the Caribbean, and the US/Canada.

As far as cruising goes, we both like to be on the water. We enjoy the lack of responsibility and the fact that we're disconnected. DH likes to nap or hang out on the balcony with a drink - I like to read or spend some time in the spa. We both enjoy some island time and treat it as a way of sampling places before committing to a week-long vacation there. But primarily, we cruise because it's inexpensive compared to what we'd spend on a non-cruise vacation. Some of our cruises have been impulse "bonus" trips because we saw a good deal and had adequate vacation time to take more than one vacation that year. We don't book the cheapest cabin or split hairs on saving money in any budget category, but cruising still comes in much cheaper than a non-cruise vacation for us.

I don't see cruising ever becoming our ONLY method of travel, however. There are so many places in the world to visit. Even if we're lucky enough to travel to every destination on our bucket list someday, I'm sure there will be some places that we'll want to visit again and again - and spend more than an afternoon there. For me, that's the biggest negative thing about cruising: you don't get to stay anywhere long enough to fully experience it. While I enjoy our cruises for the relaxation, my favorite vacations are the ones when we stay in the same place for a week or more - and still, you miss things.

I don't think we'll ever discount cruising as an option - the deals are too good not to do it occasionally as an easy trip that doesn't require much effort to plan. But sometimes we just want to spend more time at a destination than cruising allows.

I would be comfortable with the scenario you've described. With a relatively short nonstop flight in the spring, most likely you'll arrive on time. And there's time to make up for a delay. I'd be comfortable with it - but I don't stress or worry very much about travel.

We make our decision based on time of year and the cruise itinerary. If it's winter, we'll make it work to fly out the day before. If the cruise leaves on a Sunday, we have all day Sat to get there, so why not fly in a day early and start our vacation? If the cruise leaves on a Sat, flying in a day early would mean taking an extra day off - which is part of our decision-making process. At the moment, DH is short on vacation time and I'm just very busy at work - taking an extra day off would be a hassle for both of us. We compromised for our upcoming cruise by flying on Fri evening - we're getting in at 8 or 9pm, so won't really have much time to "start the vacation early." Not sure if that's worth the "peace of mind" - since it'll be a nonstop flight from DC to Miami in late April, pretty sure there won't any issues. I think I'll stress more about rushing from work to the airport on Fri afternoon than I would about flying on the day of the cruise - but we'll know for next time, after this experience.

I figure that the worst case scenario is that we miss the ship, fly to a beautiful island, and spend two days there instead of two days at sea. Works for me, even if it costs more than we had planned.

I've found the prices at the NCL spa to be comparable to land-based spas...but I live in a major metropolitan area and go to nice spas. If you live in a more rural area and/or usually go with spa deals offered through groupon, it will be pricier than you're used to. They offer at least one special every day (not just on port days, at least in my experience), which are usually the best deals.

In terms of quality, we have always been happy with the services - but we haven't done anything more exotic than massages and facials, so I can't speak towards the quality of their other services. They use Elemis products, which are nice. Some people on CC complain about a "hard sell" on products after the service, but I've never experienced that. They will usually make a recommendation, particularly if you got a facial, but I've never felt pressured to buy anything. That said, I've felt that their recommendations for me have always been good ones and I like Elemis products, but I'd rather buy them at home.

I think this is a matter of personal preference, comfort, and perhaps age is a factor. It also depends on where you're going and what you're doing. If you're unsure, pick up a cheap pair of water shoes and bring them - they don't take up much space, squish easily, and you'll have them if you need them.

If you've traveled previously, try to gage your comfort level. If the sand isn't powdery soft, does it hurt your feet? Do you spend a lot of time swimming in the ocean or laying on the beach? If you are wading into the water and encounter some rocks, does it bother you?

Personally, I only use them for river tubing or wading through streams. But I don't like wearing shoes of any kind in the water, so I fall on the "water shoes only when absolutely necessary" end of the spectrum. Moderately sharp sand and rocks don't hurt my feet and I'd rather deal with the minor discomfort of tromping around rocks than the minor discomfort of wearing shoes while swimming. But that's me.

As for whether flip flops would be fine, I would not recommend wearing them in the water, as others have pointed out. For walking around, it depends on the excursion and your comfort level. If you wear flip flops all summer and you're comfortable walking up hills in them, wearing them when they're wet, and taking them off and walking barefoot if you need to, you'll probably be fine. I wear flip flops for most excursions (pretty much unless it's a fishing boat or serious hiking). I usually go barefoot on the beach, once I've gotten past the "seriously hot sand" section.

There's a light on the balcony? Never noticed it! :)

I'm serious. While we haven't cruised as much as a lot of people on here, we always get a balcony cabin and spend a fair amount of time on the balcony. I've never noticed a light or thought to look for one!

We will still tip extra - both for drinks and at specialty restaurants. I see absolutely no reason to be offended by an auto-gratuity. It doesn't affect your bottom line IN THE SLIGHTEST unless you don't normally tip. We always tip 20% or more, so an auto-grat of 18% is not going to increase our bill and we will continue to add on the difference so that we're tipping at least 20%. If we receive truly atrocious service, we will take it up with a manager - as we would at a regular restaurant or bar.

If you don't like the auto-gratuities, you have two easy options to avoid them: 1) Don't cruise, 2) Don't drink or eat at specialty restaurants.

Also, are the steaks etc. worth the extra money over what is served in the Manhattan Room or other complimentary venues?

Your other question has been answered, but I'll chime in on this one. I think there's a huge difference between NCL's MDR food and Cagney's. For us, it is definitely worth the cost. That is a subjective question, however, and I've seen others post the opposite opinion. Your best bet is to try both and compare - that way, you'll know for next time. I don't think I'd get the UDP just to try Cagney's, but if you want to eat at some of the other speciality restaurants, it's a good value. I was pretty excited when they introduced it, as we prefer the speciality restaurants on NCL.

Relax and try not to put too much pressure on yourself. Unless you have a very limited travel bucket list, one vacation isn't even going to scratch the surface. I would approach it with the idea of having a nice trip that will hopefully ignite the travel bug in your new husband.

1) Don't stress about booking by the end of March - cruise lines offer deals all year. However, if you see a deal you want, it makes sense to book it now. If you wait too long, the promo may change or the cabin category you want might sell out.

Regarding the NCL special, you asked whether it is worth it to upgrade your cabin to get the free perks like a beverage package. Remember that the perks are only valuable to you if you'll use them. You can figure out the value of each perk (OBC and daily service charge are easy, and the dining and drinks packages are available for purchase - prices are on the NCL website) and do some math to figure out if the upgrade would make sense from a dollar perspective.

Since you mentioned the dining package, I'll throw in my two cents - I think it's an awesome free perk. Some people think the complimentary food on NCL is just fine, but I've never been impressed with it. The food at the speciality restaurants, however, is much better - in my opinion. Would I upgrade my cabin just to get it? I don't know - I'd have to crunch the numbers.

2) This really depends on your finances. I wouldn't book an inside cabin for a honeymoon - in fact, I wouldn't book an inside cabin at all - but I also would not accumulate debt over a vacation, honeymoon or not. If it's what you can afford, it'll be fine. If I were in your shoes, however, I would consider delaying my honeymoon for a few months to save up for a nicer experience. We don't cruise without a balcony - we like being able to open the door for some air, watch sunrises or sunsets, have a cup of coffee or a drink out there, etc. Sure, there are public decks where you can do all that, but there's something special about waking up and immediately stepping out onto your balcony. Others disagree and find it a waste of money - we like having a little private outdoor space.

3) We've sailed on both RCI and NCL and like both lines - but as far as the two ships you mentioned goes, we would DEFINITELY pick the Epic. You didn't mention your ages, but I assume you're a younger couple. We are 32 and 35 and very much prefer the newer ships - there is so much more to do on newer ships than on older ones. If you think you'll want to sunbathe all day on your sea days and you're willing to bet that the weather will be good, it probably doesn't matter. We have spent some poor-weather sea days bored on older ships, but there are more interesting active options on the newer ships and we've kept ourselves entertained during equally mediocre weather sea days. A ship as old as the Rhapsody would have to be sailing a pretty spectacular itinerary for us to consider it - and even then, we'd shy away from it if there was more than one sea day and just fly directly to the island that interested us for a land vacation.

All else being equal, out of the two options you've presented, we would do the Epic in a balcony cabin with the dining package.

My biggest tip would be to read the tips then IGNORE the tips! It's your vacation...do it YOUR way! I find that the more info you give others, the less fun they have discovering stuff on their own.

This is great advice - I agree 100%.

Don't go crazy packing stuff just because someone on here says it'll come in handy. You know yourselves and a cruise won't make you different people - so pack what makes sense for YOU and ignore the rest of the recommendations. I suspect you'd need at least one extra suitcase if you packed everything on the packing lists posted here. ;)

Don't feel like you need to do everything that is offered - or anything at all. I had a funny epiphany on our first cruise. I had done a lot of research here and people had talked a lot about shows and activities and how you won't have time to do all the great stuff offered. First sea day of our cruise, I dutifully reviewed the daily and highlighted a bunch of stuff...only to take a second look at what I had highlighted and think "Why did I highlight all of this? I don't want to spend an hour decorating cupcakes, I don't really care how they make towel animals, and the show tonight doesn't sound like its our speed." Maybe you're just not a show/activity person - we're not. We like to relax and do our own thing - and that's fine, as is going to shows and activities. Do what makes you happy, not what sounded like fun when you read someone else's cruise review.

I also received an email stating that the itinerary change applies to all sailings between April 25 and Oct 24 this year.

We don't personally mind the difference, having been to Nassau several times before and not having anything special planned for this trip. We'll still get off the ship - I get way too antsy to stay on the ship when it's in port, even on mega ships - but we'll probably just have lunch, do some shopping, and maybe swing by some of the historical sites that we've never bothered with before. However, I feel bad for people who had Atlantis booked, since the tickets are expensive and you're losing out on time there. Same issue applies for day passes at the resorts - less time there decreases the value. I wonder whether more people will decide to stay on the ship or cancel the Atlantis excursion if they've already booked it.