NCL Breakaway - First Timer Booked, Excited and Eager! A Few Quick Questions First :)

[thatb0yadamh]

Hello, fellow Norwegians :)

 

My name is Adam (25) and I am a young entrepreneur from Toronto, Canada who will be travelling with one of my best friends, Kate (26) on the 8/2-8/9 Sailing of the NCL Breakaway.

 

We are both incredibly excited and while Kate has been on a numer of cruises growing up, this will be my first! I actually booked first, choosing NCL for it's Studio cabins (which Kate and I have each booked for ourselves) as well as for the fact this cruise has 3 days in Bermuda.

 

I'm going to be posting in the NCL thread seperately, but figured I would ask here as well about a few questions I have:

 

Q1) How do holds on credit cards typically work for onboard spending? I believe I will be using a MasterCard for my voyage; however this works similarly to a debit card. As such, I wish to ensure I allocate funds properly for all/any authorizations placed on my account

 

Q2) I am rather anxious about the Vibe Beach Club passes. As we arrive to Newark on a flight landing at 9:30; we likely would be at the port for 11:00AM at the earliest. I presume that my chances of a pass are slim given this situation. Has anyone on previous Breakaway/Getaway/Epic sailings had any experience here?

 

I do plan to also/alternatively get a spa pass. Has anyone had experience with the "sell out" situation here?

 

Q3) Does the Spice H20 pool often reach maximum capacity early in the day? I would presume it does. In Spice, are any appetizers/entrees served or exclusively drinks?

 

Q4) Are there any staff members/crew who it would be of benefit to introduce myself to? I ask not only in the sense of those who may assist with accomdating any special requests, but also because I have a nut allergy. While I am generally very careful of my dining choices and steer clear of "risky" items; I do like to take any precautions I can without causing an inconvenience to the staff.

 

Q5) For the Spa, do treatments include a facilities pass? Similarly, are weekly pass holders eligible for any price breaks/discounts?

 

Q6) Has anyone attended previous NCL (or Breakaway) FOD/LGBT gatherings? Kate and I are both "family" - so would be great to meet others attending on board. To my understanding, these events are not on the main daily activities list but rather on the guest services bulletin board?

 

So excited! I can't wait to attend the Meet & Greet and meet some of my fellow cruisers - not to mention joining the ranks of "cruise afficionado" rather than my current status as "cruise rookie" :-)

 

Best,

Adam

[ncklhaus]

Hello, fellow Norwegians :)

 

My name is Adam (25) and I am a young entrepreneur from Toronto, Canada who will be travelling with one of my best friends, Kate (26) on the 8/2-8/9 Sailing of the NCL Breakaway.

 

We are both incredibly excited and while Kate has been on a numer of cruises growing up, this will be my first! I actually booked first, choosing NCL for it's Studio cabins (which Kate and I have each booked for ourselves) as well as for the fact this cruise has 3 days in Bermuda.

 

I'm going to be posting in the NCL thread seperately, but figured I would ask here as well about a few questions I have:

 

Q1) How do holds on credit cards typically work for onboard spending? I believe I will be using a MasterCard for my voyage; however this works similarly to a debit card. As such, I wish to ensure I allocate funds properly for all/any authorizations placed on my account

 

Q2) I am rather anxious about the Vibe Beach Club passes. As we arrive to Newark on a flight landing at 9:30; we likely would be at the port for 11:00AM at the earliest. I presume that my chances of a pass are slim given this situation. Has anyone on previous Breakaway/Getaway/Epic sailings had any experience here?

 

I do plan to also/alternatively get a spa pass. Has anyone had experience with the "sell out" situation here?

 

Q3) Does the Spice H20 pool often reach maximum capacity early in the day? I would presume it does. In Spice, are any appetizers/entrees served or exclusively drinks?

 

Q4) Are there any staff members/crew who it would be of benefit to introduce myself to? I ask not only in the sense of those who may assist with accomdating any special requests, but also because I have a nut allergy. While I am generally very careful of my dining choices and steer clear of "risky" items; I do like to take any precautions I can without causing an inconvenience to the staff.

 

Q5) For the Spa, do treatments include a facilities pass? Similarly, are weekly pass holders eligible for any price breaks/discounts?

 

Q6) Has anyone attended previous NCL (or Breakaway) FOD/LGBT gatherings? Kate and I are both "family" - so would be great to meet others attending on board. To my understanding, these events are not on the main daily activities list but rather on the guest services bulletin board?

 

So excited! I can't wait to attend the Meet & Greet and meet some of my fellow cruisers - not to mention joining the ranks of "cruise afficionado" rather than my current status as "cruise rookie" :-)

 

Best,

Adam

 

Q4 - Go to guest services once you board the ship and advise them of your allergy.

 

Q6 - FOD/LGBT gatherings are listed in the daily. See the photo below, 8:00pm.

 

[mrobstad]

Other poster are way better than me responding, but I'll try my best. Billing: you can check from your room each day to see what has been posted to your account. For budgeting, figure $10 per drink, plus excursions, plus daily tips etc. As for Vibe, if you head right to Guest a Relations, you should get passes. You will not need spa passes in addition to Vibe. There simply isn't enough time! [emoji41]on my May BA cruise, I got a spa pass because the weather forecast was for rain. I still, to this day, find it surprising the new NCL ships do not include a free, indoor pool/solarium. When you get a massage or spa service, you are not entitled to use the thermal suite. That's $199 wk. when I first started cruising NCL, I'd go to H2O cuz I didn't want to be around kids. If you get Vibe passes, you won't use H2O, tho Vibe has no pool, just 2 hot tubs. I'm a big fan of Vibe, can u tell? I don't know about the LGBT meetings, but they'll be posted daily. Also, you'll find a wide range of folks at the studio lounge gatherings--make sure you go on night 1, usually around 5-6:00, sometimes in the studio lounge, sometimes in a bar like a Sunset a Lounge. There's not really anyone special you'll need to get to know. Things you didn't ask/a few other tips.....try the speciality restaurants and eat on the waterfront, take the 7 bus to Horseshoe Beach, reserve the comedy club, and go to the Jazz Club. Enjoy! It's a great ship, great destination!

[Isabella Benjamin]

Q2 - I believe we were in group 8 to board after arriving around 11:00 or so. We went right away to get in line to for the Vibe pass. There was a single line forming just to get those passes and they handed out numbers to everyone in line. Our numbers were 39/40 out of 80, so I think you have a good shot at getting passes if it's the first thing you do when you board.

[Langham1865]

Just to add to what the other poster said... sign up for the Meet and greet for your cruise in the roll call section... usually most if not all of the senior officers will be there. Typically it is the first sea day morning. Make friends with the beverage manager and the food and beverage manager and the hotel director. Make sure they are aware of your allergies. I also agree with going to the solo cabin meet up, whomever is running it can also be a big help.

 

I would check with NCL, as with hotels, there is an amount per day they hold on your credit card, I just don't know what it is.

[tommymac5]

Send an email with your name, sail date, reservation #, room # to accessdesk@ncl.com

Advise them of your allergy and ask for any special instructions. Due this about a month before sailing.

Also go directly to guest services upon boarding and advise them, ask for direction again.

[CPT Trips]

Welcome aboard and be sure to stop in at the roll call for this cruise- http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2145339 - if you haven't already. :)

[bjtravelnews]

Congrats on your first cruise! You will love it. The Breakaway is our favorite ship. At first, we thought we wouldn't like freestyle dining (no set dining time and casual to dressy dress). Turns out it was really nice to eat when we wanted and not have to carry an extra suitcase with formal wear.

If you are adventurous - try the ropes course. It is so much fun, especially if you are doing with a friend.