ma_t_gus Posted November 10, 2014 #1 Share Posted November 10, 2014 (edited) -There are 3 lights on top of the door, green=make room, red=do not disturb, white=a card is in the room power holder. Regarding the holder, I was told you can put a card of the same size (dd card, subway card, etc and the power will stay on), I wouldn't recommend it but just in case. I found out too late, I had an alarm clock that would turn of when we leave the room. :) -2 power sockets in the table and one in the bathroom. blow dryer. A foot holder in the shower, I guess for those who shave their legs. -enough space to put all of your luggage under the bed. -latitudes pin at front desk -book your shows/mdr online. Especially if you want to eat during the peak times. For the shows, they will scan your cards to make sure you booked or else you will go to the waiting list line. -Manhattan dining room has band playing with dancing. They also had the performers from Burn the Floor doing routines at 9:30pm. Try to book a 9pm so you can see them perform. -the Cirque dinner was worth the money, try to get a seat parallel to the stage. You don’t have to turn your head to see it. -buy your duty free stuff on the first two days for an extra 10% off - there are about 20 threadmills - no self laundry machines -o’sheenan can saran wrap for to-go and uptown grill has to-go boxes -you can actually gamble from your tv -I bought a case of water, taped my name/room number on top and the porters put it in a separate cart just for water when I dropped off my luggage. -use a porter when disembarking in NYC. Saves a lot of time. -if you buy duty free liquor, you get it on the night before disembarking. Too bad I can’t finish a bottle by myself in one night or else I would probably open it. Less to carry out. Cigarettes you get right away. - I got charged cork fee even though I drank the wine in my stateroom. Edited November 10, 2014 by ma_t_gus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogue 35 Posted November 10, 2014 #2 Share Posted November 10, 2014 Great tips, I especially endorse the one about using a porter when disembarking. We did and it was sooooo much easier and quicker to get through customs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pr0pel Posted November 10, 2014 #3 Share Posted November 10, 2014 Are the porters just standing around? I remember last time we came in to the cruise terminal, I didn't see any porters until after customs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njhorseman Posted November 10, 2014 #4 Share Posted November 10, 2014 Are the porters just standing around? I remember last time we came in to the cruise terminal, I didn't see any porters until after customs. They're right near the area where baggage is waiting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vettebuf Posted November 10, 2014 #5 Share Posted November 10, 2014 Thanks, ma. Going for the first time in March. I just copied your list to my "Breakaway" tips page. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susie51 Posted November 10, 2014 #6 Share Posted November 10, 2014 Thank you for the great tips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L-in-CLT Posted November 11, 2014 #7 Share Posted November 11, 2014 Thank you! Great list! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MACE Posted November 11, 2014 #8 Share Posted November 11, 2014 Ma: - Question about dinner reservations, which we've already booked online for the MDRs - do you have show your card for the time you reserved, they scan it, and hopefully there is minimal wait for the time you reserved? How early should you arrive for your reserved dinner time? Thanks in advance... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ma_t_gus Posted November 11, 2014 Author #9 Share Posted November 11, 2014 Ma: - Question about dinner reservations, which we've already booked online for the MDRs - do you have show your card for the time you reserved, they scan it, and hopefully there is minimal wait for the time you reserved? How early should you arrive for your reserved dinner time? Thanks in advance... I booked my MDR online and I would show up 5 mins before my reservation time and have a seat in no time. Maybe I was lucky? You have to give them your card and they check against their reservation list. A couple of times, I actually showed up an hour early and they were able to get me seats within minutes. The only thing is that there were only 2 of us. Probably easier to get seats of 2. A couple of times I saw a long line when I was leaving. Not sure if they were the freestyle people who just show up or if they had reservations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjkacmom Posted November 11, 2014 #10 Share Posted November 11, 2014 Are the porters just standing around? I remember last time we came in to the cruise terminal, I didn't see any porters until after customs. When you get off the ship, there is a sign to your left where you can request one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ma_t_gus Posted November 11, 2014 Author #11 Share Posted November 11, 2014 Are the porters just standing around? I remember last time we came in to the cruise terminal, I didn't see any porters until after customs. If you see a person with an empty cart, just call them over. The thing about the porters in NYC is that you bypass all of the people that have their luggage with them. Even if I only have 3 luggages, i would still get a porter just to get out faster. They pretty much have their own line and they actually can cart the luggage across 12th if someone is waiting for you across the street. Worth the $10-20 tip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pr0pel Posted November 11, 2014 #12 Share Posted November 11, 2014 That's good go know. I used to have to haul it to the upper level where people are getting dropped off to get picked up. If the porters can cross 12th, that's even better since that is where my car will be waiting. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MACE Posted November 11, 2014 #13 Share Posted November 11, 2014 I booked my MDR online and I would show up 5 mins before my reservation time and have a seat in no time. Maybe I was lucky? You have to give them your card and they check against their reservation list. A couple of times, I actually showed up an hour early and they were able to get me seats within minutes. The only thing is that there were only 2 of us. Probably easier to get seats of 2. A couple of times I saw a long line when I was leaving. Not sure if they were the freestyle people who just show up or if they had reservations. Thanks for the feedback and your experience, really appreciate it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ma_t_gus Posted November 12, 2014 Author #14 Share Posted November 12, 2014 I forgot to add - o'sheenan is open for lunch on embarkation day, in case you don't want to deal with alot of people in the buffet - if you have kids with phones, download iconcierge when at home (don't want use data from the ship), i used it for texting and calling my teenage daughter. You know, she is too cool to hang with mom and pop. We only went to breakfast and dinner together. Only way to communicate. - if you happen to have dinner at around 9pm at Cagney's or Moderno, ask to be seated next to the window viewing the Manhattan MDR when the Burn the Floor group is performing. You should be able to see them. I haven't done it but it made sense. - you never know where the sabrett hotdog guy is, where's waldo? no chilli though. yea, not the same as the "dirty dogs" taste but... - you can pretty much do alot of things on your tv - make reserv, view your account, etc... - that rope thing is harder that it looks, sweating bullets because it was winding as hell and I'm 200lbs. :D - when I got an error on the safe, security came up to check it out, the only thing is that we never called them. Big Brother??? - don't be shy to order more than 1 appetizer or 1 main course. try different foods that you normally wouldn't order but make sure you're not allergic. - most of the crew is Filipino, so say "Salamat" meaning "thank you". They are always happy when you say that. - go to the crew talent show, gonna be surprised by this person singing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjinouno Posted November 13, 2014 #15 Share Posted November 13, 2014 Question about when you had made Dinner reservations at the Main dining room, IF there is a line to go in... Is there a seperate line for those with reservations? OR do you have to wait in the line that is formed with walk ins? Asking because this happened to me on the Gem a few years ago, and the line was really long... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickysmom Posted November 24, 2014 #16 Share Posted November 24, 2014 We just got back today. To answer the ? On reservations at the MDR. We had reservations and was surprised there was only one line. We didn't try to cut in front of the 100 people in front of us. When we got to the hostess, we told her what time our reservations was for and she never suggested that we skipped the line and just check in with her. That was my only complaint about the dining room experience. When the dancers are scheduled to perform, be prepared to wait, 30 minutes or more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjinouno Posted November 24, 2014 #17 Share Posted November 24, 2014 We just got back today. To answer the ? On reservations at the MDR. We had reservations and was surprised there was only one line. We didn't try to cut in front of the 100 people in front of us. When we got to the hostess, we told her what time our reservations was for and she never suggested that we skipped the line and just check in with her. That was my only complaint about the dining room experience. When the dancers are scheduled to perform, be prepared to wait, 30 minutes or more. Now waiting in a line with XX amount of people when you have a reservation does not make sense... Unless they remembered while seating everyone else that this is the reservation list, and kept those tables free, and now that you are now 30 min late for... So your saying better to show up 30 min before your time, if it's during peak dinner time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Champster Posted November 24, 2014 #18 Share Posted November 24, 2014 (edited) Just the tips blog that I need:). Couple of questions. 1 -How much bottled water can you bring on and does that have to be checked in earlier with your luggage or can you just walk on board with it? 2- I bought 2 UDP for me and the wife. Booked every night at 1 of the specialty restaurants ( Cirque-Sun, Moderno-Mon, Cagneys - Tuesday and Thursday, le bistro and Teppanyaki Weds ??, Teppanyaki friday and splurged on Ocean Blue Saturday) and actually made a mistake and booked Le Bistro at 7 and Tappanyaki at 9 (see ??) . Can't figure out how to cancel Teppanyaki on line, so will they allow me to Do both?Or how do i cancel Teppanyaki?? 3 - Also will they allow me (and I should have thought about this before i went hog wild with the Specialty dinners), to go to Cagneys at 7 on Tuesday and MDR at 9? Not necessarily to eat (although at 226 lbs I could probably put away some more appetizers) but to see how the main dining rooms work? My wife and i plan on bringing our grown children next year on the cruise, and we would like to have some idea of MDR food/atmosphere? Thanks in advance for any feedback. T- 20 days and counting!!!! Edited November 24, 2014 by Champster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sauer-kraut Posted November 24, 2014 #19 Share Posted November 24, 2014 (edited) Just the tips blog that I need:). Couple of questions. 1 -How much bottled water can you bring on and does that have to be checked in earlier with your luggage or can you just walk on board with it? There is no limit. Yes, you can carry it on yourself, a small rolling case is ideal for this. 2- I bought 2 UDP for me and the wife. Booked every night at 1 of the specialty restaurants ( Cirque-Sun, Moderno-Mon, Cagneys - Tuesday and Thursday, le bistro and Teppanyaki Weds ??, Teppanyaki friday and splurged on Ocean Blue Saturday) and actually made a mistake and booked Le Bistro at 7 and Tappanyaki at 9 (see ??) . Can't figure out how to cancel Teppanyaki on line, so will they allow me to Do both?Or how do i cancel Teppanyaki?? 3 - Also will they allow me (and I should have thought about this before i went hog wild with the Specialty dinners), to go to Cagneys at 7 on Tuesday and MDR at 9? Not necessarily to eat (although at 226 lbs I could probably put away some more appetizers) but to see how the main dining rooms work? My wife and i plan on bringing our grown children next year on the cruise, and we would like to have some idea of MDR food/atmosphere? You can eat in as many free options after or before dining in a specialty restaurant. I was cruising with someone who decided he wanted to eat in the mdr with the rest of the solos before going to the dinner/show Cirque. They will scan your card every time you enter a MDR but it doesn't 'reject' you. You can also do a progressive dinner.... Appetizer in one, mains in another and dessert somewhere else! Thanks in advance for any feedback. T- 20 days and counting!!!! See responses above. Edited November 24, 2014 by Sauer-kraut Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Champster Posted November 24, 2014 #20 Share Posted November 24, 2014 See responses above. Sweet. Now if I can just figure out how to cancel Teppanyaki. I'll probably just call my NCL agent! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grobma Posted November 24, 2014 #21 Share Posted November 24, 2014 1 -How much bottled water can you bring on and does that have to be checked in earlier with your luggage or can you just walk on board with it? You can carry it on as another reply indicated, or you can do what we did - we brought a case of water, slapped a luggage tag on it, and sent it on with our checked baggage. It showed up in our cabin along with our luggage. On our upcoming trip, we're skipping it. I found out that the tap water throughout the ship is all the same, and is what they pour in your glass at restaurants and what comes out of the tap at the buffet. So we're being a bit more environmentally conscious and bringing refillable bottles which we'll fill-up in our bathroom or at the buffet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grobma Posted November 24, 2014 #22 Share Posted November 24, 2014 Another helpful tip - the carpeting in the halls outside of the cabins has schools of fish on them. The fish are always swimming towards the front of the ship. That's very helpful to know if you get turned around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melpollard Posted November 26, 2014 #23 Share Posted November 26, 2014 We are bringing our filtered water pitcher and will refill water bottles.:p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Champster Posted December 9, 2014 #24 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Thanks, ma. Going for the first time in March. I just copied your list to my "Breakaway" tips page. Ditto for me (just copied tips to my cruise tips page) for my first cruise this Sunday on BA. Just upgraded to a Haven Front facing suite. Cant figure out the difference between "S7" suites and "H7" suites. Seems like both are the same??!! Countdown.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carontori Posted December 10, 2014 #25 Share Posted December 10, 2014 I was told today that the water will be too cold for swimming at Great Stirrup Cay, Is this true? What was your experience? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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