renji

On 7/3/2022 at 10:32 AM, Sailing12Away said:

12324

 

Yup, and people on deck 11 who weren't originally supposed to get them now do...

I’ll be in that cabin in early December…when will you be on? If you are on earlier, i would love bathroom pics, and to hear how easy the tub was to fill.  Trying to figure out if Vibe passes are worth it, but between the Haven and hot tub, maybe that’s overkill.  I’ve not done NCL Haven (or NCL other than a short Sky to Cuba) before…

1 hour ago, Max and Ruby said:

We bought through Royal’s excursion. I paid around $75 pp which included admission and transportation.  I got it on a sale…. Normally $84 pp I think. 

Ah….it’s been sold out for months but will check on board.

On 6/27/2022 at 2:26 PM, Max and Ruby said:

We went yesterday. Starting a few days ago closes at 6 now. We got there at 2 and had 4 hours to tour. Bus left at 6. It’s worthwhile, but you won’t get to see nearly everything. We just did Atlantis shuttle bldg and a few others. 
 

we also met up with family there so we had another reason to go. 
 

Hi, we are 6 people and I’m inclined to go…may I ask—did you buy AAA or direct tickets in advance? Uber there? Wondering my best bet.  

3 hours ago, koolforkatz said:

I can help you out because my husband and I are currently quarantined on the Beyond. He tested positive on day four. I was negative. We were given the option of staying together with  both of us isolating. Or we could separate and I would be free to roam around ship, have meals, go ashore etc. I would also have to test every day for 6 days. We opted to separate. Our original cabin was a sunset. I moved to an infinite. Next day I tested positive so was able to go back to our original cabin with my husband. They have taken extremely good care of us. Medical checks on us twice a day and have provided necessary medications. We can order whatever we want from room service including drinks. There is a bit of a wait but nothing unreasonable. Our 3rd day in isolation F&B delivered two complimentary bottles of wine and petit fours. Nice touch! We have streaming internet, on demand movies and can make phone calls. Not the holiday I pictured but can’t complain about how well celebrity has looked after us. It was a chance we took; no regrets. 

I’m sorry to hear you are quarantined but glad you have access to fresh air.  Priot reports were oceanview and that worried me.  Did you report symptoms to medical or they required you to test because of a close contact?

6 minutes ago, Water babies said:

We faced the same decision cruising with our now 18 yr old son. A Royal Suite was nice and roomy, but having him laying on the sofa bed in the living room while we moved about the suite was annoying. And a second bathroom would have been really helpful. We had originally booked an aft Sky Suite with connecting sunset veranda on the Reflection in 2020, but will be sailing in an S3 Sky Suite along the Magic Carpet with a connecting inside stateroom for our son on the Apex 26 Jun. It used up our FCC; both itineraries were to Iceland/Ireland. Having that second bathroom and a real bed for our son were key factors in our decision. It would be lovely to have an Edge Villa or the 2 bed/ 2 bath Penthouse, but they always seem to be sold out, even if you could afford them.

I would gladly buy her an extra stateroom just to sleep, but then without access to the Retreat and Luminae/Blu that might be hard…I’m already paid for the two of us or I would downgrade us all out of the Retreat!

14 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Unfortunately that will not be an option for you.   Aqua Class is limited to only 2 persons in a Cabin.   This is due to capacity limitation of Blu.

 

I thought that was the case but verified by doing a mock booking for 3 -

 

Because Beyond has the Aqua Sky Suite, they say that cabin can hold 4!

We are in an Aqua Sky Suite on the Aug 27 Beyond and wondering if the sofabed would be comfortable for a 24 year old (my partner’s daughter).  I know 3 sharing a bathroom would be tight, but am thinking since we have access to the spa, perhaps one of us can shower there?  I would consider a Move Up but no guarantee we will get any of those and hate to lose the spa access without a second bathroom (which leaves just Penthouse and Edge villa as good upgrades, pricy and long shots but worth a try), and not sure the separate space in the Celebrity suite or Royal suite will be more important than the bathroom access at the spa (so not worth the extra expense).

it’s pretty port intensive so was thinking we might be ok sharing with Retreat and Spa access…would love any views on that!

On 12/1/2018 at 3:07 PM, MaggieAtSea said:

Warning: completely "1st world" issue here!

We are booked in an Edge Villa in April... but, boy, were we surprised this week at the size of the cabin and, especially, the veranda, when the videos started to come out.  The dining table accommodating a tight 4 (as put by one travel agent) was the first surprise.  But then the veranda... the person on a second lounge chair LITERALLY has to crawl across the person/lounger of the other to access the hot tub or door to the room... and as was pointed out, even putting the loungers diagonally doesn't offer a solution.  Interesting choice of layout there.  Maybe it is, as my husband suggests, a way to push folks out of their own veranda and use the Retreat.  And the cost for a week in this accommodation is through the roof compared to our upcoming penthouse sailing on the post-"edged" Infinity in Europe this summer... and we know how expansive the indoor and outdoor spaces are with that accommodation.  We'll be watching reviews of this room, and the common spaces that accompany it, in the next few weeks before we put final money down for April.  

 

It was just a bit of surprise for us... feel free to agree or give me a "snap out of it" if you so wish!

On 12/6/2018 at 1:54 PM, ATLgirl15 said:

Maggie, if you cancel your villa, we’ll take it!  Just boarded for our 3 days in the Edge Villa and are in love!  I don’t know what that travel agent was talking about - it is not cramped in here at all.  4 plus size adults can fit at the dining table.  Celebrity must have listened to the balcony feedback because the furniture was swapped - 2 lounge chairs perpendicular on the living room side with space in between to get in and out of both  and the couch by the plunge pool. The loft bedroom is private and can not be seen unless someone is up the staircase. The upstairs exit to the sun deck in fine-spacious “hallway” with privacy.  Don’t make any decisions based on pictures alone.  This room is fabulous!  I do miss the outdoor dining table because we usually love breakfast on the balcony but I’m not going to lose sleep over it.  

 

for reference purposes, we have sailed in Sky, Celebrity and Royal suite on S-class and loft suite on Royal Oasis class so we are not new to suite life.  

 

Off to to enjoy this amazing ship!  Will check back and answer any questions later.  

Hello—trying to figure out if the plunge pool is heated and is jacuzzi—I’ve seen it described both ways!

On 6/6/2020 at 9:23 AM, Sthrngary said:

Sand Fleas:  I will be honest with you, we got off the ship; went on the small boat to the dock; got on the bus to the resort; walked through the sand to the bungalow and never went on the beach again until we left.  So no sand fleas.  When we went on the NCL private island, we had a Beach Villa (Book this early also) and no sand flea's. 

Placement of the Bungalow: Yes, go to the excursion desk and should be no issue.  Also, like a seat on an flight, just ask the folks next to you if they would swap. 

Expectations: The Bungalow are close to each other yet still provide privacy. Not like the commercials of Figi Islands. The edge of the wood that is not covered from the sun can get really hot and this is were the dinning/eating area is located. The food is just OK, especially if you are staying in the Haven on the ship where the food is spectacular.  The Butler/Bar tenders are always great.  You need something, just ask.  No need to leave at all so you can enjoy the area for the hours you are there. The bar is right behind the bungalows so it does not take long to get a drink. 

Pictures:  I have none on purpose.  I did not take my phone.  My goal on a cruise ship is to put my phone in the safe and take it out the day we leave.  

The Beach: Is right behind the bungalow's.  Skip it. Again, if you want beach, what for the private island. That is the nicest private island I have ever been on with a cruise line.  The Beach Villa is also very expensive yet not all inclusive which is fine.  On that situation, you can have as many as 8 folks join and share the costs. Another great option. 

 

Other thoughts.  I am 63 and my wife is 60.  We loved the water slides on the ship.  Loved them.  Both shows were fantastic and I don't usually like on-board shows.  If you can afford or upgrade to the Haven area it is a deal changer.  

 

Enjoy your cruise. 

 

So I came across this older review while researching the turquoise bay bungalows and see you tried it as well as the Harvest Caye…not sure if you will see this but we’re booked on the Dec 2 which stops Roatan, Harvest Caye, Costa Maya and Cozumel. It’s our first time in the Haven plus having our own jacuzzi, I was thinking of skipping one day ashore and chilling on our own.  Although maybe it’s hot enough that we’d rather hit the bungalow and get in the water….would you do both Roatan or Harvest Caye, or skip one?  What have you done in Cozumel or Casta Maya? I’m a huge fan of your Haven advice thread, so would love to know what you think!

14 minutes ago, hawkeyetlse said:

Thank you for your perspective. I agree that there will inevitably be Covid cases (whether detected or not) on all cruises. But just to be clear, you are saying that they should continue testing (and isolating), right? Because 30 cases is still better than 300 cases?

 

Or are you saying that the cost of testing and the disruption of putting people in isolation is not worth it, given that we could just let it run wild and "only" a few people would get seriously ill and die? And that lots of people are going to catch it no matter what precautions we take?

 

NCL is clearly moving towards the second approach, doing little to no testing and not enforcing masking etc. Asking people to get tested 2 or 3 days before boarding is better than nothing, but it is so easy to show them a bogus negative result, I'm sure there are people who are knowingly infected but determined to cruise anyway, and unless they are showing obvious symptoms, there is no way to stop them.

 

I feel bad for people with higher risk factors who are eager to cruise and who probably assume that the longer they wait, the safer it will be for them. But the truth is that things were much safer a few months ago (even at the peak of Delta) than they are now.

On my Cunard cruise, we were all tested by the cruise line before getting on the ship in addition to pre-cruise testing.  

4 hours ago, Jerseygirl1416 said:

I would think a nice tip with the request to your cabin steward would get you a couple of extra loungers from the pool deck. I doubt you’d get the upgraded padded ones.

Thank you! We always give half the overall tip on greeting them anyway, we don’t like to make them wait a full week for payment.  So we’ll see 🙂. 
 

Is there any chance of requesting a few extra loungers in the balcony? There seems to be room.  And anyone have experience asking for the dootbell to be disconnected? I have heard that kids do a lot of “ding dong ditch”!

58 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

 

You can order room service from any restaurant. You would normally order off the Haven restaurant menu. You can order from specialty dining and use your dining credits if you want. Work with your butler for ordering in advance. 

 

The Prima dining is still pending. Current Haven Restaurant menus:

 

BREAKFAST

 

LUNCH

 

 

DINNER

 

 

That does look good, thank you!  

5 hours ago, gotscrapz said:

I sailed in the Haven on the Bliss in April. We used 1 specialty dining (that we had booked for the 1st night, knowing we had a plan) and cancelled the rest because the Haven food was the best food and the ship!

I hope you enjoy the food 🙂

Thank you! It will be my first NCL other than the Booze cruise to Cuba….looking forward,

10 hours ago, dexddd said:

We've left specialty and Platinum meals on the table due to Haven being so good.  Menu does not change, but we can get what we'd order in Cagney's in the Haven.

 

However, Prima has some new and interesting restaurants that may be worth trying.

Good point, Prima could be different.  Hopefully there will be some info before we go in December!

10 hours ago, UKstages said:

you'll be able to order room service from the room service menu with no delivery fee. you can also order meals from the haven restaurant for "free," which is why i wouldn't necessarily recommend purchasing additional specialty dining credits.

 

technically, meals from specialty restaurants are not "room service," but your butler can fetch meals for you from specialty restaurants. there is no delivery fee, but you do have to pay for the food, either with a FAS dining credit or by paying a la carte.

 

drinks are a little trickier. again, technically, any alcoholic beverage delivered to your room does not qualify under your "free" drink package. if you have the premium plus package and are consuming a bottle of wine with dinner, you can usually get the remaining bottle "to go." technically, if they were to deliver the same bottle to your room unopened, it would not be covered by your package. technically, ordering an unopened bottle "to go" is not allowed. there have, of course, been reports of lax enforcement of these policies depending upon ship and personnel. YMMV.

 

i strongly advise looking at the bottled wine list before upgrading to make sure there are a number of wines you'd enjoy drinking. there have been cutbacks/curtailments to the wines on offer and "supply chain issues" have affected availability in some cases on some ships.

 

as far as a wine preservation system like coravin, i don't believe these are prohibited items. you can presumably bring that onboard, but if you plan to finish most wines within a day or so... do you really want to be schlepping that device around?

I was thinking of the pivot and the sparkling coravins just to keep the wine sealed and the bubbles still fizzy (since the Veuve might be the best bottle available). They are actually pretty light and small so it was a thought!  Because we are coming into Miami, I’m not inclined to try to buy wine in advance so will have to be hopeful that there is something we would like. It would probably be worth the plus plan anyway given how much bottled sparkling water and starbucks I drink!  I buy the refreshment package on royal so I think of the plus as equivalent, with the wine as a bonus!

4 hours ago, mac_tlc said:

Thats an interesting time for Nassau. On our sailing, we were there from 8am - 6pm. Seems like once the Oasis switches to Friday departures from NJ, the itinerary swaps the order of Nassau and CoCo Cay, with Nassau being after Port Canaveral. I scanned a few dates and it said Nassau was 1pm to 8pm.

 

What is your sailing date? Are you sure it is 1pm to 11pm in Nassau??

 

mac_tlc

July 1…it does say that Nassau is 1-11 when booking…but I am still going to book the boat just to 7/730 anyway.

13 minutes ago, mac_tlc said:

On Port Canaveral day, Playmakers, Portside BBQ and Johnny Rockets were open by 11:30am.

 

 

mac_tlc

Thank you so much!  Do you think the 1-11 timing for Nassau is safe?  I’m thinking of renting a boat from 130 or 2 to 730 or 8 and coming back for a late dinner…

21 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

Who in their right mind would want to be trapped in a hotel eating room service instead of heading home?  After being trapped in a cruise cabin? I have kids in college living in shared dorm rooms with hallway bathrooms, no one wants to be sent to the quarantine hotels. Can you link a post to these crazy passengers?

I’m with you, there is no one doing this to try to get trapped in a cabin.

Anyone have the recent cruise compass showing entertainment and music/dancing times?  I have a 10:30 boarding time and will book my UDP reservations and shows as soon as possible, but it will be hard to choose dinner times if I don’t know the show times (as I’m also trying to fit in as much dancing as possible, although it seems there is only Boleros and not any ballroom on Oasis).  
 

i would most appreciate it…I saw one online but the print wasn’t legible!   
 

Also I see that lunch on UDP is only sea days but it seems Port Canaveral and Nassau we (sadly) dock at 1 so would any UDP venues be open before we get off the ship?

5 minutes ago, cherylnj said:

For my sailing in July, the charge is $249pp 😳.  They're out of their minds 

It did go on sale for $233 a person.  Ashamed to say I booked it.  It’s July 1 and I’m worried the cruise will be insanely crowded…

I got very lucky to grab a Prima Haven cabin with a balcony jacuzzi and am thinking I might want to spend the first few days (sea day and Harvest Caye) just enjoying the cabin and being a bit cautious about covid. We have two Specialty Dining—should we get more?  Can we order room service from any of the restaurants?  anyone have a Haven room service menu?
 

If I upgrade to Premium Plus can we use that for bringing wine back to the cabin, or bring a bottle back from dinner?  Can we bring Coravin and Coravin Sparkling on board to bring unfinished wines back to the room?

On 5/17/2022 at 7:20 PM, melissa_t said:

This is a great thread and I've read the whole thing.  I've already decided to going to upgrade.  My question though, is if I wait to upgrade until I'm on board (I assume there's somewhere to do that?) can I use non-refundable OBC towards this?  Hoping someone knows.  That's the only reason I'd wait vs paying in advance...

 

Thanks!

Good question, is it more than the $30 a day to upgrade when you do it onboard

On 5/17/2022 at 5:22 PM, pretzlaff said:

Folks got positive tests on our transatlantic.  I was worried that we might get a positive test.  So, I double checked on changing our air reservations to Toronto, so that we could take the bus across the border to Buffalo and fly home from there.  If you are from the west coast, change your flights to Vancouver.

 

I am not going to stay in Europe for 10 days hoping that I get a negative test.

That is a great idea for countries that will let you leave without lengthy quarantine if the cruise ship reports you. So would work for the UK but not Italy…

59 minutes ago, VitaminSea53 said:

If you are about to disembark in Italy - why not test yourself on board, if positive keep it to yourself and book an Airbnb for 10 days.  Once negative, hop on a flight to the US or after 10 days use QuickMD.com to get yourself a Certificate of Recovery and head to the airport.   Keep the Italian government out of it…..

You can even avoid the flight to the US by going to Canada.  The problem is if you are required to test onboard because of contact tracing, or because you do become symptomatic.  It just still seems very high risk.