First time cruiser considering Norwegian

[Yanis]

We will be traveling as a family with two small children (3 years old) to the Mediterranean in June. We have been looking at Norwegian, and have friends who enjoyed a Norwegian cruise in the Mediterranean last summer.

 

I have lots of questions and concerns, mainly about what ship, cabin, and booking provider to use. I would be really grateful if anyone has input on any of these areas!

 

Ship:

I have been looking at both Epic and Jade, as their routes and pricing are attractive to us. From my understanding many people really seem to like Epic, but I am not sure it would be our best bet. We would prefer smaller crowds, and are wary of too many teenagers/20-somethings running wild at night. We would like a cabin that is quiet at night. It would be nice with some activities for our children, but we are not going to leave them in a club and go off on our own. We are not too keen on activities and entertainment ourselves, other than sunbathing, doing some workouts and visiting the spa, and of course restaurant visits. We prefer nice restaurants where the waiters are knowledgeable about wine and food, and know what goes in the food (my husband is allergic to gluten).

 

Cabin:

It seems as though NCL offer good options for families with children. We would prefer a (non-enclosed) balcony cabin. It is rather difficult to understand the cabin layouts from the information I can gather, when it comes to additional bedding. Some simply state "additional bedding to accommodate two more" - I am not really sure what this means? Others state a sofa bed. We would like to avoid bunk beds, as our children are small and we don't want them falling down on the floor, so a sofa bed that can sleep two would be best. As for the size of the cabin, many people seem to think that the family balcony cabins on the Epic are very cramped. In that case I suppose Jade would be better. Does anyone know if it is possible to walk past a folded out sofa bed to access the balcony? I am not sure whether a mini/junior suite would be better? As for the position in the ship, I understand that certain decks/places are better avoided, as can be seen in cruiseadvice - best cabins. We would prefer the perfect combination ;) of a quiet cabin and not having to walk too far to the lifts. From the deck plans it seems as though some of the lifts and stairs are only accessible from inside staterooms? We also need to take into consideration that our children have been suffering from motion sickness during travels by car, and are hoping to avoid rough seas, or at least the parts of the ship where it can be felt the most. To me it seems as though a non-enclosed balcony would be the most desirable, as my husband and I both love the sun, but I understand it can be quite difficult to figure out which balconies are enclosed.

 

Booking:

I have been looking at booking with a certain online travel agency. What concerns me is that when I start the booking process, the price including the children is quoted, but in the next step it says "Due to technical limitations on the side of NCL, only the cabin prices for 4 adults can be shown here. The lower price for children will be taken into account when you make an optional booking." Can anyone confirm that this is true?

[Twelvevman]

We will be traveling as a family with two small children (3 years old) to the Mediterranean in June. We have been looking at Norwegian, and have friends who enjoyed a Norwegian cruise in the Mediterranean last summer.

 

I have lots of questions and concerns, mainly about what ship, cabin, and booking provider to use. I would be really grateful if anyone has input on any of these areas!

 

Ship:

I have been looking at both Epic and Jade, as their routes and pricing are attractive to us. From my understanding many people really seem to like Epic, but I am not sure it would be our best bet. We would prefer smaller crowds, and are wary of too many teenagers/20-somethings running wild at night. We would like a cabin that is quiet at night. It would be nice with some activities for our children, but we are not going to leave them in a club and go off on our own. We are not too keen on activities and entertainment ourselves, other than sunbathing, doing some workouts and visiting the spa, and of course restaurant visits. We prefer nice restaurants where the waiters are knowledgeable about wine and food, and know what goes in the food (my husband is allergic to gluten).

 

Cabin:

It seems as though NCL offer good options for families with children. We would prefer a (non-enclosed) balcony cabin. It is rather difficult to understand the cabin layouts from the information I can gather, when it comes to additional bedding. Some simply state "additional bedding to accommodate two more" - I am not really sure what this means? Others state a sofa bed. We would like to avoid bunk beds, as our children are small and we don't want them falling down on the floor, so a sofa bed that can sleep two would be best. As for the size of the cabin, many people seem to think that the family balcony cabins on the Epic are very cramped. In that case I suppose Jade would be better. Does anyone know if it is possible to walk past a folded out sofa bed to access the balcony? I am not sure whether a mini/junior suite would be better? As for the position in the ship, I understand that certain decks/places are better avoided, as can be seen in cruiseadvice - best cabins. We would prefer the perfect combination ;) of a quiet cabin and not having to walk too far to the lifts. From the deck plans it seems as though some of the lifts and stairs are only accessible from inside staterooms? We also need to take into consideration that our children have been suffering from motion sickness during travels by car, and are hoping to avoid rough seas, or at least the parts of the ship where it can be felt the most. To me it seems as though a non-enclosed balcony would be the most desirable, as my husband and I both love the sun, but I understand it can be quite difficult to figure out which balconies are enclosed.

 

Booking:

I have been looking at booking with a certain online travel agency. What concerns me is that when I start the booking process, the price including the children is quoted, but in the next step it says "Due to technical limitations on the side of NCL, only the cabin prices for 4 adults can be shown here. The lower price for children will be taken into account when you make an optional booking." Can anyone confirm that this is true?

 

I can help with a few items:

 

Ship - We traveled on the EPIC with our son when he was 13 months and on the Dawn when he was 3. We have also been on the Jewel which is a sister ship to the Jade. The EPIC rooms are slightly smaller than the rooms on the Jade, but they are a great layout with tons of storage. You may want to consider the mini suite since it gives you a bath tub and not just a shower (not all mini-suites on EPIC have tubs, so be sure to pick a room that does). As far as sleeping arrangements, I can only speak for the sofa bed on the Dawn, but it would have been fine for 2 small children.

 

The youth club will take a 3 year old if potty trained. You can bring your children there if you wish and are free to pick them up at any time. May be good if you want some adult time. It also will allow the kids to be with others their age. EPIC also has the Nickelodeon activities and characters onboard.

 

EPIC has a great splash zone geared to toddlers. Just remember, on either ship, no kids are allowed if in diaper, including swim diapers.

 

For meals, the free dining establishments are very good (in my opinion). We also do a few specialty restaurants per cruise. Teppanyaki is very fun for the kids. If you book with NCL, make sure you or your agent contact NCL about the food allergy. I have heard they are very good and will assign you a maitre 'de to help manage the menus on a daily basis.

 

I cannot comment on why the TA's website is dispalying the message you see, but the prices for 3rd and 4th passengers would be the same whether its for a child or an adult.

 

Hope you have a great cruise on either of the 2 ships :)

[OzCanuck]

We did 11 days on the Jade last February - fantastic cruise. I wrote about it here if you're interested. We traveled with our then 18 month old. I can't speak highly enough of the two bedroom family suite...

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1807621

[Yanis]

Thanks for your replies!

 

Oh dear, if prices are the same for adults and children we may need to downgrade our cabin... :( Can anyone else confirm that it is not possible to get any discounts for children on NCL?

[Demonyte]

There are also tons of people that dislike NCL's megaships, me included. :) I tried Epic and it wasn't bad but I still prefer the older, smaller ships of Dawn class and Jewel class.

 

What comes to the pricing, it's always based on double occupancy so 3rd and 4th passengers are significantly cheaper (usually around $300-500pp) than the first two (in a balcony cabin usually over $1000pp) - so one could say that when your family is cruising in a single cabin, the kids do get discounted fare.

[OzCanuck]

Thanks for your replies!

 

Oh dear, if prices are the same for adults and children we may need to downgrade our cabin... :( Can anyone else confirm that it is not possible to get any discounts for children on NCL?

 

Children are cheaper.

 

Price a cabin out with two adults, say it'll come to $3,000, or $1,500 /pp.

 

Then price it with two adults and a child - it'll come to something like $3,600 - the website will show $1,200 /pp but really the child is only an additional $600.

[Demonyte]

Children are cheaper.

 

Price a cabin out with two adults, say it'll come to $3,000, or $1,500 /pp.

 

Then price it with two adults and a child - it'll come to something like $3,600 - the website will show $1,200 /pp but really the child is only an additional $600.

 

This only applies to new ncl.com website, I haven't seen this "total price divided with number of passengers instead of showing actual price for each" thing on any travel agent sites.

[Yanis]

Right, on this particular site (where prices are quoted in EUR), I notice that the price for a 3rd or 4th child is in this instance €129, but the price for a 3rd or 4th adult is €599. Would you say that this is accurate?

 

I have seen people use this travel agent with no complaints, but I was just wondering why they cannot show the total price correctly.

[LrgPizza]

Children are not the same price as adults. I agree that you should price it out yourself on the NCL website for comparison purposes.

[KeithJenner]

Regarding the cabin with the beds out for children, there are a few issues.

 

We only have one child, so don't have the issue of needing a second child's bed, but the second beds are ones which drop down from above to form a type of bunk bed arrangement. The sofa beds are not that wide, but if your kids are small then you will probably be ok. Maybe sleep one at each end?

 

If you are on the Jade and will want access to the balcony whilst the sofa bed is in use then you need a mini suite rather than a balcony. I understand that in a balcony room the sofa bed does block access to the balcony, but not in the mini suite. I'm not sure whether that is the case on the Epic. Note that I don't know this from first hand experience, but from my research, as I've never stayed in a balcony room.

 

On the Epic, some rooms have the bed by the balcony and some have the sofa there. On the Jade I think that all but one room have the sofa by the balcony, we prefer the bed to be there so we can access the balcony easier.

 

 

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[Oldgoat61]

There is a review that a CC member did of the Jewel...the title is "Mitsugirly's Jewel review", something like that. It's on the fifth page back post #144-146 I believe. It gives you a good idea of how the sofabed looks, as well as access to the balcony. If I knew how to link that thread I would do it.

 

I would pick the Jade rather than the Epic, because it is a smaller ship. That being said, make sure you have a cabin above and below you when you choose your cabin, and try to stay mid-ship. I don't know how the seas are in the Med., but I would take this as a rule for new cruisers.

 

I think you will enjoy NCL, all ships have a relaxed feel to them, and they are the only line that does freestyle, were other lines attempted it.:)

[bluesea777]

Mini-Suite on the Jade, hands down.

 

Mini-Suites have a bit more space and their sofa is pulled out like a futon into full length double bed - ideal for your two kids - and you still have space to walk in the room.

 

Also the mini-suites on Jade (and other Jewel class ships - Jewel, Pearl, Gem) have bathtubs.

 

Mini-Suites on Epic have either bathtub or bigger shower, but unfortunately they do not have double bed - just the slide out twin and one bunk bed from the ceiling.

 

Another thought is to have 2 cabins with connecting door - but you'll be paying 4 full fares. The above you'd be paying 2 full fares plus 3rd and 4th person fares.

 

There are NO kiddos fares on NCL. If 4 adults occupy one cabin there are 2 full fares plus 3rd and 4th person fares. If there are 1 adult and 2 kids, they pay 2 full fares and one 3rd person fare.

[KeithJenner]

Maybe the kids fare depends on where you book. They are certainly cheaper in the UK. When I did a booking recently, the quoted price was higher than I expected and we discovered it was because the third passenger hadn't been noted as a child. Changing that reduced the fare.

 

 

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[Susie51]

In order to get by the fold out sofa to the balcony without difficulty you should get a mini suite. I've been on Jewel and Pearl and like them a lot. The pool for the younger children is small, but the family pool is too deep even for the my 7 year old niece. Enjoy your cruise!

[RJ2002]

We have not sailed on the Epic, but have been on the Jade and enjoyed it. It is older than the Epic, but it is well maintained and the onboard service was very good.

 

With regard to your dining comment, I think you will be happier in the specialty restaurants rather than the MDR. We have sailed on several different mass market cruise lines, and the MDR food on NCL is our least favorite. However, we do enjoy the NCL specialty restaurants. However, be aware that there is a surcharge to dine in the specialties. They should be able to accommodate your husband's diet restriction, just let them know in advance as has been suggested. Many people are fine with the MDR, but given your comment, I just think you'd be more satisfied in the specialty restaurants.

 

edit: Forgot to add... Welcome to CC and enjoy your first cruise!

Edited February 5, 2014 by RJ2002

[Yanis]

Thank you so much for all your replies!

 

It does seem as though Jade would be a better fit for us (as I thought), and a mini suite would probably be better than a normal balcony cabin.

 

I did find Mitsugirly's pics, thank you. In those pictures though, it does look as if it is possible to access the balcony even with the sofa bed pulled out. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1959571&page=8 But I suppose there would be more room in a mini suite. Another plus with a normal balcony cabin could be that there is no space in between the sofa bed and the big bed, so if it's a squeeze for our children the one closest one could easily just climb up into our bed.

 

And as I suspected I think we'll have to focus on the specialty restaurants for most of the journey.

[Yanis]

Another thing I just noticed is that the mini-suites on the Jade are just below the pool, fitness center, and restaurants, so maybe we'll have to choose between a spacious cabin and a quiet cabin...

[jdvmd]

We will be traveling as a family with two small children (3 years old) to the Mediterranean in June. We have been looking at Norwegian, and have friends who enjoyed a Norwegian cruise in the Mediterranean last summer.

 

I have lots of questions and concerns, mainly about what ship, cabin, and booking provider to use. I would be really grateful if anyone has input on any of these areas!

 

Ship:

I have been looking at both Epic and Jade, as their routes and pricing are attractive to us. From my understanding many people really seem to like Epic, but I am not sure it would be our best bet. We would prefer smaller crowds, and are wary of too many teenagers/20-somethings running wild at night. We would like a cabin that is quiet at night. It would be nice with some activities for our children, but we are not going to leave them in a club and go off on our own. We are not too keen on activities and entertainment ourselves, other than sunbathing, doing some workouts and visiting the spa, and of course restaurant visits. We prefer nice restaurants where the waiters are knowledgeable about wine and food, and know what goes in the food (my husband is allergic to gluten).

 

Cabin:

It seems as though NCL offer good options for families with children. We would prefer a (non-enclosed) balcony cabin. It is rather difficult to understand the cabin layouts from the information I can gather, when it comes to additional bedding. Some simply state "additional bedding to accommodate two more" - I am not really sure what this means? Others state a sofa bed. We would like to avoid bunk beds, as our children are small and we don't want them falling down on the floor, so a sofa bed that can sleep two would be best. As for the size of the cabin, many people seem to think that the family balcony cabins on the Epic are very cramped. In that case I suppose Jade would be better. Does anyone know if it is possible to walk past a folded out sofa bed to access the balcony? I am not sure whether a mini/junior suite would be better? As for the position in the ship, I understand that certain decks/places are better avoided, as can be seen in cruiseadvice - best cabins. We would prefer the perfect combination ;) of a quiet cabin and not having to walk too far to the lifts. From the deck plans it seems as though some of the lifts and stairs are only accessible from inside staterooms? We also need to take into consideration that our children have been suffering from motion sickness during travels by car, and are hoping to avoid rough seas, or at least the parts of the ship where it can be felt the most. To me it seems as though a non-enclosed balcony would be the most desirable, as my husband and I both love the sun, but I understand it can be quite difficult to figure out which balconies are enclosed.

 

Booking:

I have been looking at booking with a certain online travel agency. What concerns me is that when I start the booking process, the price including the children is quoted, but in the next step it says "Due to technical limitations on the side of NCL, only the cabin prices for 4 adults can be shown here. The lower price for children will be taken into account when you make an optional booking." Can anyone confirm that this is true?

Are you outside the U.S.?

Not sure what you mean by a "non-enclosed balcony.

The rate for the third and fourth person are the same, no matter what age. The lone exception to this would be if there was a "Kids sail free" deal offered by NCL. There currently is not one.

Your travel agent can flag your reservation as "Gluten Free." Once onboard, you can meet with the dining room manager to go over his options. You should do this prior to going to dinner the first night.

[LrgPizza]

Children are not the same price as adults. <--FALSE! I agree that you should price it out yourself on the NCL website for comparison purposes.

 

I am quoting my own post here because I gave incorrect information!! When looking at our booking, our son was significantly cheaper. My husband informed me he never even entered an age when booking, it is merely cheaper due to being a 3rd person (as several others have posted.) Sorry I can't edit or delete that post.