Orleanscruiser

First, I LOVE Cruise Critic for this stuff.... y'all rock.

 

ok, so final payment is due 4/13, but we already made ours.

 

We would get $500 OBC with this promo. Do I just call and ask or try to rebook on the website or what? I dont want to lose our room...

 

ooh, looks like price is down about $30 pp also. not a lot, but still. O.O

You get $500.00 only if you are in the garden villa and owner suites , all other haven suites and suites gets $300.00 , they will cancel your booking and you will have to rebook at current price and you could loose your current suite

What if I need to stay in touch while away?

Staying connected at sea could be very important to some of us. https://www.ncl.com/about/staying-connected-sea-cellular-phone-service-texting for more information on Internet Access and Cellular Phone Service & Texting.

All of our ships have Internet Cafés for those of you that need to on online. You can also telephone, telex, radiogram or fax to anywhere in the world and be billed* at applicable ship-to-shore rates. Norwegian guests can also be contacted on our ships by calling 1.888.NCSHIPS (1.888.627.4477) from the USA. For the rest of the world please dial 1.732.335.3280. When guests are contacted with the ship via satellite, they can be reached directly, if they are in their stateroom. If not, a message about the incoming call will be delivered to their stateroom and then they can call back* the shore via satellite. Norwegian guests can also make and receive calls, send and receive text messages and read emails on their own cell phones and mobile devices just as they do on land when the ship is at sea with the Freestyle Cellular Service. Staying in touch with family and friends when cruising has never been so easy. Click here for more information.

Norwegian Ship Telephone & Fax Numbers

When calling from the United States: Dial 1.888.NC SHIPS (627.4477), select the ship, and enter your credit card information. When Calling from outside the United States: Dial 1.732.335.3280, select the ship, and enter your credit card information.

*Please use American Express, MasterCard and Discover Card, only.

We will be in the Grand Villa (14000) on the Star in a couple of days. It's our first time in a villa and we're really excited about it. Just read that there was a limo transfer available from the airport. Does anyone know if this is still available?

 

Any other info you would like to share about the grand villas is appreciated...

These may help you

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ncl/welcomeaboard_haven/#/0

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ncl/welcomeaboard_suites/#/0

Check page 3 welcome aboard haven

I'm sailing on the Getaway on May 29 and it will be the week of my parent's anniversary. My dad is wanting to surprise my mom with a special dinner, and he cannot decide between Cagney's or Ocean Bue. My mom is a huge Geoffrey Zakarian fan so he was initially leaning towards Ocean Blue. However, he is not a big seafood eater and wants to make sure he will find something he likes too. Is it only seafood, or are there any other options? Does anyone have any menus that I can show him? Any advice is appreciated!

this the new menu from Brakeaway

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2331878

post #8

ocean blue is mainly seafood there is 3 beef dish on the menus best bet would be cagney,s or lebistro

drop in on first day and let the maitre'd know of the special aniversary

I did a mock booking for our Oct 2 Getaway trip and it's $140 OBC for our M6 with only a $5 fare increase for pax 1 and 2. I booked when only 1 promo was offered so I could re-book with OBC and a second offer :)

 

Any idea how the OBC is applied if you have 4 booked in a cabin?

1 per cabin

What "secret" areas have you found peace on a full Breakaway ship? I've read the waterfront is a good area to read or play games with the family. How about lounging spots (away from the pool?)

deck 18 foward sundeck and the vibe on deck 17

Also in the evening the uptown bar & grill

Lol....I think I see where I came across as confused but I am not. I understand that O'Sheehan's is inclusive. I was also curious about the specialty restaurants menu and they are not inclusive and a few of them have switched to an A La Carte concept vs the old Pay One Price.

the jewel is getting the new menus on April 1 as per my pcc

also see the press release

https://www.ncl.com/press-releases/norwegian-cruise-line-unveils-norwegian-edge

Anyone have any thoughts or opinions on Valet Anywhere in New York?

there is several post on the east coast departure site

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=415&order=desc&page=2

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2304249

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2326479

You could also park at port Imperial on the Jersey side and take the ferry across Hudson , on our last cruise last Nov. we were leaving on a Monday morning from pier 88 , we stayed a hotel in Secaucus drove to port imperial park the car for 8 days if I remember it cost 180.00 for the week ferry included

We have sailed and witnessed how diligently crew work around the ship to sanitize walls, elevators, dining, and hallways/railings/public spaces.

 

But with turnaround time so fast once the ship enters port, all passengers debark and embarkation starts, how on earth do the room stewards really sanitize all the surfaces in the staterooms?

 

We feel assured all the public areas are done meticulously, during all hours of the day and night.

 

But when a stateroom is occupied...just how is it possible to fully sanitize the cabin in such a short time as is the window between debarkation and embarkation?

 

We know that sanitization of the public spaces is ongoing, and often occurs during hours when ship is in port (while passengers are off on excursions).

 

But how does a steward who has X amount of cabins thoroughly prepare a stateroom, insuring that it is as clean as possible for the new guests?

 

Inquiring minds want to know here, seriously.

First thing in my luggage is a box of lysol towel and sanitizer

once in our cabin I will wipe all surface with the towel

When I read your post I knew you must be from PA without even looking. I LOVE scrapple, but can never find anyone who even knows what it is outside of PA. LOL

 

terry

It consisted of cooked pork scraps not used otherwise, spices and herbs, and cornmeal. This was cooked together, put in loaf pans and kept refrigerated or frozen. To serve, you sliced the loaf and pan-fried it, generally for breakfast with eggs.

[

Back to your regularly scheduled review. Uptown Grill’s up next. But first, here’s a rogue photo of the Open-Faced Smoked Salmon Bagel from the Savor breakfast menu.

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Open-Faced Smoked Salmon Bagel from the Savor breakfast menu. Yum my favorite

 

Uptown Grill, not to be confused with Uptown Funk (I’ll get to that later with mom’s review of the gym) is located above the Garden Café (buffet) and is open for breakfast and lunch.

 

At breakfast they have a small buffet with eggs, breakfast meats, potatoes, a variety of breakfast sandwiches, and the now world famous (H endorsed) cinnamon rolls (they come in chocolate, vanilla or lemon).

 

 

 

So, Uptown Grill at lunch. That brings me to a real low-point in our trip. It seems that dad does something on every cruise to get try to get himself arrested (yes, traveling with mom is that bad – see my Carnival Pride review for the time dad tried to poison her). This time it was a dine and dash (didn’t think that was possible at a free restaurant, did you?).

 

We were eating at the buffet one day for lunch when dad ventured off to get more food, leaving me to wrangle mom on my own. 20 minutes later we see him, with a burger in hand, leap down a flight of stairs in a single bound and hurdle over 16 tables to where we were sitting. “HIDE ME!, he said.” Dude’s 6’4” and I’m 3, but with some strategically placed mac n cheese, he managed to elude security. Seems dad didn’t realize that Uptown Grill is a traditional, sit-down restaurant at lunch where you order at a table and eat like a civilized person. But the minute his server turned her back, he was off -- way more afraid of my reaction at being left to handle mom on my own for 20 minutes than jail. So here’s what a hot hamburger from Uptown Grill looks like:

 

 

Uptown Grill was never crowded and the food is totally worth a few days in the brig.

Was that a vegetarian burger with bacon imitation?

We are sailing on the Epic in may, in an Aft Haven suite.

 

As this is a port intensive cruise, we plan to eat breakfast in our suite each day, and likely will do dinner in suite a few nights as well (if we are particularly tired and have an early morning the next day).

 

Does anyone have a copy of the Haven room service menus? Can I order breakfast "from anywhere" like we can with dinner? In other words, can we request breakfast items from O'Sheehans?

 

For dinner, we have the UDP but I've heard that doesn't apply to room service if we request food from specialty restaurants - can someone confirm that?

 

We also have UBP but is it also true that ordering drinks to the room through our butler would be an extra charge? Not included in UBP?

 

Finally, if we bring bottles of wine on board from ports, can we open in our room with a corkage fee, or is that only available if we are sitting in a restaurant?

 

Any other tips/menus/things we should know?

 

Thanks in advance!

I think it's best that you contact your Butler & concierge once your board the ship and make your request with them

I booked an excursion in January, a few weeks later we realised that it was not really suitable for us due to my disabled sons needs so we cancelled. Cancellation was 1st Feb by email, sailing 14th Feb, excursion was on 19th Feb. Price was almost £250.

 

I did not get any confirmation but the next day checked My NCL and it was no longer showing.

 

When we got on board there were no tickets waiting for us so clearly the excursion was cancelled.

 

Only I have no refund in my account, I have just been through my CC statement and it was not refunded to my OBA either (we paid in GBP before sailing).

 

Where do I direct my complaint to please. Thanks

these are the number in the uk

Shore Excursions

For enquiring about or booking Shore Excursions

Phone

0845 201 8900

Select option 6

Email

excursions@ncl.com

Hours of Operation

Monday - Friday: 9am - 5pm

Saturday: Closed

Sunday: Closed

Guest Relations

For any enquires you have after your cruise

All correspondence should include the guest's name (first and last), name of ship and sailing date, as well as a contact address and telephone number. Standard Response time is 28 business days from receipt.

Phone

020 8834 9030

Hours of Operation

Monday - Friday: 9am - 5:30pm

Saturday: Closed

Sunday: Closed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHyuhG9ehJw

Same, would love to know.

 

Oh & I thought there was a small pool, am I wrong thinking that?

you're tinking of the haven

Can someone explain what the Vibe passes everyone is talking about? What do they do? How do you get it? Is there a cost?

From ncl website:

Vibe Beach Club

Guests will jump for joy upon discovering this private retreat where they can connect with the ocean – and disconnect from everything else. Exclusively for those 18 and over, Vibe Beach Club is resplendent with ocean views, an over-sized hot tub, chaise loungers and a relaxing water feature - idea for relaxation. A full-service bar, water spritzers, chilled towels and skewers of fruit ease you even more into serenity. A limited number of passes will be available for purchase onboard at the Guest Service Desk.

It would be prudent if you knew of what you speak before posting.

 

There are no international laws being broken and almost zero chance of anything even remotely attributable to money laundering.

 

Laundering money is the taking of illegally obtained funds and making them appear legitimate. Anyone purchasing OBC is most likely doing so through their debit or credit card and I've no doubt that the financial institutions that hold those cards are dealing with 'clean' money.

 

Canadians can legally and freely cross the border into the United States without having to claim any monies underneath the $10,000 per person threshold. I have not heard of anyone purchasing more than this amount per person in OBC. Even if they had been able to before, now with the changes in NCL's rules, no one would be able to do so in the future with the $1000 per cabin limit.

 

It is obvious that you do not like the idea of people purchasing OBC and cashing that out in the casino. But it was a process that was set up and allowed by the cruise lines themselves.

 

As to the trickle down effect of any potential losses, what about the potential losses from any of the other pre cruise purchases at the more favourable rate? If a Canadian pre-pays for their DSC in Canadian funds who makes up the difference? The cruiseline? The crew? What about the purchasing of shore excursions, spa services, dining packages etc.? What about all those losses?

 

The fact is those losses are negligible in comparison to losing Canadian clientele from sailing at all due to our weak dollar. Canadians don't make up a huge portion of the cruising public but they do make up a significant number. Significant enough that NCL makes certain considerations towards them in order to keep them sailing.

 

You don't have to like it, but you will have to accept the situation, as that is the way NCL has set it up. No need to accuse others of criminal activity when none exists. Now if you can show me where someone is buying OBC with the proceeds of crime than we can certainly discuss the matter further.

 

 

Rochelle

I agree with Rochelle ,

but correct me if i'm wong

Ncl sells OBC (on board credit) for use on the ship while you cruise

:Quote from josecruise " the cashier asked him if it was to play in the casino and DH told the truth (second mistake) that it was to use in port and that No he wouldn't be playing in the casino "

Does that not constitute fraud maybe I'm wrong

I'm sorry if this has been asked a million times before. I am a first time NCL cruiser who booked a cruise to Hawaii well in advance and have seen too many changes to keep track of all of them. The information I have found on NCL for the POA seems to not be updated, perhaps since the changes will go into effect on 3/15.

 

How does the dining package work now that specialty dining has gone a la carte?

 

I'm not sure if I want to have reservations and the need to be somewhere at an exact time, but fresh lobster in Kona at Cagney's sounds awesome and trying a French restaurant for the first time would be a good experience.

you can refer to the term & condition from NCL website

https://www.ncl.com/specialty-dining-package/faq

88 DAYS FOR The Haven Aft-Facing Penthouse with Master Bedroom and Balcony ON THE BREAKAWAY

Darn I'm out of popcorn

Could you post more details about this? Academy Bus/entertainment Tours is no longer providing the service as of 2016. If there is a replacement service, many folks would like to know.

http://www.academybus.com/Boston-NYC/Gobus.aspx

Manhattan

30th Street and 9th Avenue

Close to Penn Station

and take a cab to bayonne

On our last Breakaway cruise out of NYC, we were able to purchase bus transportation through NCL from Providence to the port. Does anyone know if this is still available? I've looked here on cruise critic and on the NCL site and can't find anything. It was so convenient. If not, suggestions are welcome! Thanks :)

http://www.academybus.com/Boston-NYC/Gobus.aspx

it's no longer offered with Ncl but check the above site for more info

press release Mar 08, 2016

https://www.ncl.com/press-releases/norwegian-cruise-line-unveils-select-fall-and-winter-201718-itineraries

Highlights include a variety of Caribbean & Bahamas cruises from New York, Port Canaveral and Miami; immersive 10-day Canary Islands cruises from Barcelona; as well as the company’s exclusive seven-day, intra-island Hawaii sailings from Honolulu.