Mom2kmo

21 hours ago, Olyrachel said:

Thank you all! We did tell them we prefer 1-2 days on each side for leeway. It sounds like my idea of planning ahead just isn't on the same time scale as NCL... shocker! haha

We found out our international flights 71 days out.   

3 and up, the child must be fully potty trained, including no pull ups.   

5 hours ago, ace2542 said:

On NCL the cabin door sections are locked off with the fire doors closed until annnouncement is made. On Cunard at least the stateroom is already ready when you board. NCL sadly is a zoo when people board at first with people sitting everywhere with bags waiting for the cabins to open.

Since you already have a negative taste in your mouth about NCL, why not stick with Cunard?   

15 minutes ago, www3traveler said:

I just looked at the Prima Deck 14 plan.  There is a much wider corridor between the Inside Cabins than the Balcony Cabins.  Probably room to two doors to open into the corridor.  It does also look like there are several Inside Cabins that connect like hotel rooms.  That might be an option.

Interesting since this is the first I’ve heard about this.   No way would I ever move to a interior.  My teens are fine in there, just was always convenient to be just across the hall.  Thanks for the info!!!!

1 hour ago, www3traveler said:

Remeber that on the newer ships, the Inside Cabins are down a separate corridor and NOT accessible from the corridor with the balcony cabins.  On the older ships, the doors to the Inside Cabins are directly across the hall from the balcony cabins, BUT not on the new ships.  I believe the rule is you have to be 18 or older to be in your own cabin.  Lots of people book one adult and one kid in each room and put both kids in one room.  That works if your cabins were next to each other but not if your cabins are on different corridors.  Go the the website and check out the deck plans and see what works best for you.

 

Keep in mind the the period between late February until after Easter is PRIME Spring Break time meaning very crowded and expensive.

Have had not heard this about the interior not being accessible from the same hallway as the balconies.   My 3 teens are in an interior & we are across the hallway. On the Prima deck 14 forward it doesn’t look Iike there is a different hallway for interior.  Do know if this is true for the Prima?   

1 hour ago, JIMESOPUS said:

Need to make reservations, they were checking and did turned people away .. but it's free

Do you know if Haven guests need to make reservations as well. Or do they have a designated area for them like other ships.  

On 9/23/2022 at 6:09 PM, JIMESOPUS said:

Super surprised on the upload speed, but we are still close to the UK. Kirkwall has been cancelled due to storms north, means almost two full days in Iceland. Feel sorry about the cabin down the hall that has the slide outside, we could hear people screaming.

Goodbye Southampton,

What cabin are you in that you can hear the slides from?  

Can you opt for the Starbucks package for the under 21 passenger instead of the soda package?   My kids live in SB but do not drink any soda.  

1 hour ago, ColeThornton said:

 

 

Unfortunately there are many guests whose personal and public hygiene practices leave a lot to be desired.

Amen!!!!!

1 hour ago, abualsamid said:

I booked a cruise for my family, including two children with disabilities, for our Spring Break vacation.
My child has a history of severe asthma reactions to upper respiratory infections. 
When the corona virus epidemic started, I got worried about him getting severely sick while at sea. In the past he ended up in the ICU three times.
I called them to ask for a refund for a future trip. They flat out refused. I called the following week, and the lady explicitly told me to "cancel the reservation and write to our customer care team" as the only option.
I did so, and was flat out denied by the customer care team. I wrote them back, I was flat out denied. I called again, I was flat out denied. Every time with zero empathy.

Today, they announced "peace of mind, cancel your reservation if you are worried about corona virus." I called and they said "you already canceled, this does not apply to you". When I lost my temper the customer service HUNG UP THE PHONE.

I would not travel on Norweigian if they paid me my weight in gold to do it. 

I knowing you have a child who very well could not travel due to medical reasons, why in the he’ll would you not purchase travel insurance?  

1 minute ago, Isabella Benjamin said:

They're probably too busy talking to their lawyers and accountants.  

Really???   

On 2/24/2020 at 2:15 PM, SPNJHockey said:

We WERE loyal NCL-Haven customers until today.  At every turn, including "personal concierge," mis-information was conveyed by NCL employees.

When I called to cancel, our personal little helper advised that we'd be out 25%.  I can swallow a 25% loss to schedule a surgery. 

Find out today that it's NOT a 25% loss, but a 50% loss of $10k cruise vacation.  If I knew initially that I'd be out $5k, I would have forced myself onto vacation, and scheduled surgery for AFTER the cruise.

#NeverAgainNCL.

Your post turned me off when you referred to a NCL employee as a “little helper”.   With that,I’m sure you are a joy from the get go.  

Really complaining about a .50 increase pp (a $1 a day)!   Not sure what cruise line doesn’t increase their DSC but maybe it’s time you find that cruise line and jump ship!  

1 hour ago, susanf31 said:

No, they will not offer an upgrade. I asked. I'd also rather have a spa pass, Vibe pass, cabin upgrade...anything.  They are only offering 25% shipboard credit for the difference in price drop.  This is what we get for booking early. Will never deal with NCL again.  Part of my family are paying MORE for an inside cabin than balcony cabins are currently selling for.  

 

You got the room you wanted and were happy with the price you paid at final

paynent, correct?   Do you go back to the grocery store weeks later and try to get a refund on a sale item you paid full price weeks or months before?  This is the chance you take with EVERY cruise line!  

43 minutes ago, TheSpaver said:

So you're saying if someone with no insurance at all cancels their trip directly through NCL for fear of coronavirus and NCL themselves don't cancel, they will still give you 75% back?

If you have insurance 

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.  We are traveling with a 12, 11, & 10 year old and want to ensure we are in a safe neighborhood and conveniently located.  

On 2/25/2020 at 2:37 PM, tgloersen said:

Although with all this CoronVirus stuff going around, i would not be surprised if there was a allot of cancellations before final payment, that may create opportunity for successful bidding, but to early at the moment..  I for one bought cancel for any reason insurance for our AK trip in June.  Hopefully this virus blows out of here by than!

According to NCL if you cancel due to any reason other than medical, you only receive 75% back.   So let us know if your insurance covers 100% for cancel other than medical and if so where did you find this insurance?   We are schedule 14 day out of Southampton in June.  

1 hour ago, Tutontow said:

I fully understand the OP's pain.  To him hanging out in the sun with a nice drink is a huge part of his cruise experience.  

In my case if the casino was ever so crowded on couldn't get on a blackjack table or if the Observation Lounge was so crowded I couldn't get a seat at the bar, a huge part of my cruise experience would be ruined.  Fortunately, so far that has not been the case.

I wouldn't sail Disney if it was free because I would be bored out of my mind on sea days without a casino.

And that’s why my kids have never been on a Disney Cruise!  No casino no cruise...   

Why the mad emoji?  You got the room you paid for, if you wanted to be guaranteed a different room, you should have booked it out right!  

It’s always been suites and VIP,  people who purchased the new upgrade embarking/tendering, then latitude members who qualify for priority embarking, then general.  

6 hours ago, desibee said:

I'm so disappointed.  This was going to be our very first cruising experience and now it's ruined.  How am I supposed to trust that any other cruise we book with NCL with this "10% discount" won't also be cancelled?

Seriously!!   NCL is trying to have the best interest of its customers and employees.    

On 1/24/2020 at 10:21 AM, Joken35 said:

I am aware of the time frame for repairs in  April. My question is did the past few cruises go off without a hitch. dd they make all the ports?I will pack those floating devices just in case . Not sure about the Pop Tarts.

Some people from the past few cruises have postEd updates on FB that their cruises went on without and problems and they had a great time!  

Who wants to carry a cup around to get soda?  Why not just go to the bar and ask for a soda in a clean cup.   Plus how do you wash it to keep it clean?  In your bathroom sink?  🤮

On 1/27/2020 at 9:16 AM, John Bull said:

 

 

Hi Debbie,

 

This for travel from central London, not from airports. 

 

Bear in mind the location of your hotel when choosing transportation from London to Southampton 

 

Your main choices are

 

1. Direct train from London Waterloo station to Southampton Central station.

About 3 trains per hour, journey time about 90 minutes.

Walk-up fare about £45. Advance tickets, available from about 8 weeks out, as cheap as £10 - but those tickets are only good for the train time that you book, miss that train & it'll cost the walk-up fare for the next one. Cheap advance tickets aren't available for all trains, but still plenty of choice fitting a cruiser's schedule.

 https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

 

2. Direct train from London to Victoria station to Southampton Central station.

Hourly service. Journey time about 2 hrs 30 mins (it takes a roundabout route)

Walk-up fare about £32, advance tickets (available for all direct trains) from about £10 again only good for the train time that you book.

(ignore trains which involve a change of train, fares are much higher and the change a little awkward with luggage)

 https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

 

3. Direct coach from London Victoria coach station to Southampton coach station.

Approx hourly service, journey time about 2 hrs 15 mins.

The cheapest way to travel, fares from as low as £5

Important to pre-book because they often book-out.

https://www.nationalexpress.com/en

 

A taxi from Southampton Central train station or coach station to any cruise terminal costs £6 to £10

 

4. Door-to-door coach tour/transfer from central London (and Heathrow) hotel to ship, via Stonehenge.

Coach transfer to your ship from multiple London hotels (if yours isn't listed it'll be only a short walk to one that is), via a stop of about 90 minutes at Stonehenge. Operates for most ships, only available on sailing day. All passengers on the coach will be on your cruise. Fare includes Stonehenge admission. Operator is "International Friends" but for whatever reason it's a little cheaper through London Toolkit

https://www.londontoolkit.com/tours/private_southampton_stonehenge.htm

nb 1. They offer several coach tour/transfers from ship to London hotels, which are better value than London hotels - Stonehenge - ship because they're much longer days (not constricted by ship check-in times).

nb 2. On other pages of that website there's stax of great info about logistics etc in London and a little about Southampton

 

5. Ship-sponsored coach transfers from London to ship.

Book thro cruise line. Not available with all cruise lines, available only on sailing day. Usually depart from London Victoria coach station & sometimes from ship-sponsored London hotels. Getting you to the ship from the coach pick-up location is cruise-line's responsibility.  

Fares vary quite dramatically between cruise lines.

Useful for singletons, not always great value for couples, always poor value for larger groups.

(for comparison, booking a National Express coach from Victoria coach station to Southampton and a short taxi hop to ship can cost under £20 for a couple)

 

6. Private transfer

Often recommended on Cruise Critic are

http://www.smithsairportcars.co.uk/

https://westquaycars.com/

http://www.aquacars.co.uk/

(the above all based at the Southampton end)

https://www.blackberrycars.com/

(based in London)

Price for a sedan about £130 upwards.

 

7. Just hailing a taxi in London ....

would cost an arm & both legs.

Hailing a taxi in the street is convenient for a short city hop, but waaaay too expensive for a journey of any length.

 

8. Walking ..........

London to Southampton is  about 77 miles, around a 26-hour walk.

Not practical with luggage 

 

JB 

Can you tell me if the National Express Station in Southampton is with walking distance to the Moxy Hotel?

also I know this question will be a first for you but since your a local, hopefully you can answer it.  Do you know if any gymnastics gyms close to the Moxy hotel?  I have a gymnast who wants to drop

in well we are in Southampton.    

On 1/24/2020 at 12:54 PM, adstz said:

We stayed at Park Plaza Victoria. There are 5 or so Park Plazas very close to each other so be careful which one you book. 

We were very pleased with this hotel. Super modern rooms. Go to bed and hit a button to close the curtains or turn off and on lights. Buffet breakfast can be included in your price when you check in. Very clean. It is very walkable. We walked to Buckingham Palace and Churchill's War Room. A good number of restaurants within a few blocks.  Very close to Victoria bus and train station. There is also a theater about 2 blocks away that had Wicked while we were there.

Was this the Park Plaza by Radisson on Vauxhall?   We just booked a 2 bedroom apartment there.