RCI loyalist wants to try NCL, but has questions...

[RSLeesburg]

Hi everyone,

 

I got bored at work yesterday so started to explore future cruises when I came across the 11 night Panama Canal cruise over Christmas 2018 on Jade. Panama Canal is on my bucket list, so I wanted to tentatively book it but had a few questions:

 

1. How good is the current sale? I know on RCI, they usually jack up the prices just before the sale. Does NCL do the same?

 

2. What does families and friends sail free mean? Does this mean third/fourth passenger are free? If so, where does this show up in the pricing?

 

3. I saw that Jade is going to be refurbished - when does this happen? Does anyone know what will be added/removed from the ship?

 

4. Cabin selection. I was looking at two different Haven suites - the owner's or the two bedroom. I think the Owners is not in Haven, but not sure if this a big deal or not. Does it matter?

 

 

 

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[sanger727]

Hi everyone,

 

I got bored at work yesterday so started to explore future cruises when I came across the 11 night Panama Canal cruise over Christmas 2018 on Jade. Panama Canal is on my bucket list, so I wanted to tentatively book it but had a few questions:

 

1. How good is the current sale? I know on RCI, they usually jack up the prices just before the sale. Does NCL do the same?

 

2. What does families and friends sail free mean? Does this mean third/fourth passenger are free? If so, where does this show up in the pricing?

 

3. I saw that Jade is going to be refurbished - when does this happen? Does anyone know what will be added/removed from the ship?

 

4. Cabin selection. I was looking at two different Haven suites - the owner's or the two bedroom. I think the Owners is not in Haven, but not sure if this a big deal or not. Does it matter?

 

 

 

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Will answer what I can. Not sure what sale pricing you are looking at but the free at sea has been going on for 2 years now with the terms changing slightly every month or so... so that's nothing new, don't think it will majorly affect pricing, but you can always re-price before final payment if it drops.

 

Friends and families sale free means 3rd and 4th passenger are free. So will come into pricing if you do a mock booking. If you are pricing for 2, it will show the real price; then 3rd and 4th will be just the taxes and fees. If you are pricing it out for 4 now, it is probably showing you the average across the 4 people.

 

Jade is being refurbished in the spring if 2017. Not sure what changes will be made.

 

Can't answer about the haven. Good thing if you are doing a suite is you will get all perks and pay no service charges. If you were to book a balcony, you have to pay 18% of the cost of the drink and/or dining package if you choose those. Still can be a good deal overall but some people are disappointed when they see that so just good to be aware of.

 

Something else to be aware of that has cause a bit of disgruntlement; I believe your cruise has a stop at harvest caye in Belize. This is not Belize city or anywhere near that. It's simply an island off the coast that Norwegian has built out a beach area and pool at (but not a private island so drinks and food aren't included). Again, not a deal breaker but disappointing to some.

 

 

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Edited December 22, 2016 by sanger727

[trajan]

I've been looking at 2018 cruises and frankly the prices look terrible. And past March there's no 3rd/4th free offer. I don't see any reason to book a 2018 cruise yet.

 

 

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[BirdTravels]

1. How good is the current sale? I know on RCI, they usually jack up the prices just before the sale. Does NCL do the same?

prices are really not a sale. More perks.

 

2. What does families and friends sail free mean? Does this mean third/fourth passenger are free? If so, where does this show up in the pricing?

you can book your 3rd person for free. 4th only if the cabin holds 4.

 

3. I saw that Jade is going to be refurbished - when does this happen? Does anyone know what will be added/removed from the ship?

dry dock early 2017. NCL dry docks have been gut-jobs. Demoing public areas down to the sheet metal and rebirbishing. Staterooms get net carprets and furnishings. The jade will have some of their restaurants re-themed to NCL standards (e.g. Blue lagoon will be turned into o'shehans pub).

 

4. Cabin selection. I was looking at two different Haven suites - the owner's or the two bedroom. I think the Owners is not in Haven, but not sure if this a big deal or not. Does it matter?

i would recommend the forward facing penthouse or owners suite. You just lose access to the Havens courtyard (not a big deal). You still get invited to all of the Havens parties, and the suites restaurant for breakfast and lunch. You still have concierge and butler service.

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Come and try NCL!

[Eleteace]

Hello RCI loyalist.. I'm a bit of an NCL loyalist!

 

I agree with the couple of posts above but just would like to add a couple of things. Not sure you on the current sale, there always seems to be a sail of some sort! Never been to harvest caye so can't comment on that one but I know a lot of people are getting annoyed about it.

 

The suites always seem expensive to me!

 

I love how this post started 'I got bored at work' that's how most my cruise shopping works... ha ha. If you're bored at work again you may want to check out this post I wrote http://cruisingisntjustforoldpeople.co.uk/2016/12/04/8-things-i-wish-i-knew-before-cruising-with-ncl/ NCL is pretty similar to RCI but there still may be some things that you don't know :-)

 

Have a fabulous time if you do decide to go :)

 

 

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[Cr2zCr8zy]

Thanks for the info I'm looking at booking my first NCL cruise.

 

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[KeithJenner]

Just to clarify, whilst the forward (and aft) facing Penthouses don't have access to the Haven, the Owners Suites do. They are located outside the Haven, but your key gets you access.

 

How much of a problem that is depends on you. Some people seem to like never having to leave the Haven, or don't like having to walk to the Haven from the front of the ship. Some don't mind and some like being based outside it. The choice is yours.

[RSLeesburg]

I've been looking at 2018 cruises and frankly the prices look terrible. And past March there's no 3rd/4th free offer. I don't see any reason to book a 2018 cruise yet.

 

 

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Thanks. I know that on some of my RCI cruises, the suite pricing was lowest the further out you booked, so was not sure if this was the same with NCL too. But, you can still reprice the cruise before final payment - correct?

 

PS: I have noticed a sharp increase in suite pricing at RCI too.

[RSLeesburg]

Just to clarify, whilst the forward (and aft) facing Penthouses don't have access to the Haven, the Owners Suites do. They are located outside the Haven, but your key gets you access.

 

How much of a problem that is depends on you. Some people seem to like never having to leave the Haven, or don't like having to walk to the Haven from the front of the ship. Some don't mind and some like being based outside it. The choice is yours.

 

Thanks. I was looking at "the Haven Owner's Suite with Large Balcony". I just checked, and it is forward. It looks like it has two balconies and I liked the layout, but the two bedroom is a bit cheaper. We are only three - my wife, my son (who will be 9 then), and myself, so a 2 bedroom seems like overkill for us. I am sure he will want to be out at the main pool deck to use the pool, in the arcade, or in the kids club, so being in the Haven is not that important to us - but, I think I would like to see what all the hype is about...lol

[RSLeesburg]

Just to clarify, whilst the forward (and aft) facing Penthouses don't have access to the Haven, the Owners Suites do. They are located outside the Haven, but your key gets you access.

 

How much of a problem that is depends on you. Some people seem to like never having to leave the Haven, or don't like having to walk to the Haven from the front of the ship. Some don't mind and some like being based outside it. The choice is yours.

 

PS: Thanks for posting the specialty dining guide - that is very different than RCI. With exception of Oasis class ships, we never book specialty dining in advanced, but rather do it on board via the concierge. We have never had issues getting into any restaurant on the days/times we wanted - but, we had a much harder time doing this on Harmony. Not sure if this is true for Oasis/Allure, but on Harmony, you should book things in advance. At least now I know that this is also recommended for NCL :)

[RSLeesburg]

Can't answer about the haven. Good thing if you are doing a suite is you will get all perks and pay no service charges. If you were to book a balcony, you have to pay 18% of the cost of the drink and/or dining package if you choose those. Still can be a good deal overall but some people are disappointed when they see that so just good to be aware of.

 

Something else to be aware of that has cause a bit of disgruntlement; I believe your cruise has a stop at harvest caye in Belize. This is not Belize city or anywhere near that. It's simply an island off the coast that Norwegian has built out a beach area and pool at (but not a private island so drinks and food aren't included). Again, not a deal breaker but disappointing to some.

 

 

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Thanks. I believe that RCI does the same - charge you the service fee when you get a drink on the beverage package. My wife and I do not drink, so not sure we would use this perk that much - maybe a soda here and there, or sparkling water during dinner. We do love the specialty restaurants - I wish Royal would add this perk to one of their sales :D

 

You are correct - we do stop at Harvest Caye. I had not really looked at the itinerary that closely, but this is good information to have. I think I would have preferred to go to Belize City, but a private island is not too bad either.

[Starflyr3]

We have sailed both in the Haven 2 bedroom (on Jade), and the Owners Suite (on Pearl). With my kids, I would choose the 2 bedroom. The Haven is nice for the pool (we usually sail during spring break, so the main pool is too much of a zoo), but for us the biggest perk is being able to stay up, talk, watch a movie and have some privacy after the kiddos go to bed. In the OS, there is a curtain, between the bedroom and the living room. In the 2 bedroom, there are doors

(3, if you close them all).

 

Jade and Pearl are sister ships.

 

Hope that helps

Edited December 22, 2016 by Starflyr3

[shark with a laser]

PS: Thanks for posting the specialty dining guide - that is very different than RCI. With exception of Oasis class ships, we never book specialty dining in advanced, but rather do it on board via the concierge. We have never had issues getting into any restaurant on the days/times we wanted - but, we had a much harder time doing this on Harmony. Not sure if this is true for Oasis/Allure, but on Harmony, you should book things in advance. At least now I know that this is also recommended for NCL :)

 

 

Booking dinner reservations in advance is less necessary on the smaller ships and unnecessary in a suite on ships the size of Jade. When you're in a suite, you have concierge service, and the concierge can get you same day reservations. Just call him or her that morning, or even after you get back on board after your day. Teppanyaki was the only thing we couldn't get same day on the Jade, we had to book it a day or 2 in advance. In the MDRs you can even just show up and say you're friends of [concierge name], and you'll get seated pretty quickly, especially if you don't have a preference to be near a window. I much prefer to decide in the morning where I want to eat that night rather than deciding a month before I'm on the ship.

 

 

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[RSLeesburg]

Yes. This is our style too.

 

 

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[trajan]

Thanks. I know that on some of my RCI cruises, the suite pricing was lowest the further out you booked, so was not sure if this was the same with NCL too. But, you can still reprice the cruise before final payment - correct?

 

 

 

PS: I have noticed a sharp increase in suite pricing at RCI too.

 

 

With NCL it seems to be the opposite; prices are higher this far out. You can still reprice before final payment. If you want 3rd/4th free compare the 2018 cruise you like to same but in 2017. If the 2017 version has 3/4 free good chance it will be offered eventually for the 2018.

 

We plan to travel in an off peak time and based on the pricing patterns I've seen there's two strategies that I'm considering:

1) Book last minute for the lowest price but be prepared to be flexible on cabin choice.

2) Or book something basic now and upgrade close to sail date.

 

Both have worked well for us in the past.

 

 

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[RSLeesburg]

Yes. This does. I am liking the 2 bedroom better and better...lol

 

We would be sailing over Christmas, so I would expect a lot of families - but it is also a longer cruise.

 

 

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[4774Papa]

We don't do suites unless we can get an upgrade so I can't help you there.

 

 

We prefer Celebrity and have done 9 with one booked for 2017. We have done 6 NCL and one booked for 2018. Never done Royal, but have two booked for 2018.

 

From what I have read on cc, I think Royal is a bit like NCL, but a bit like Celebrity. Probably more like Royal.

 

Food is better on Celebrity, but our last NCL cruise on the Sun to Alaska, the food was a big improvement. Also, we took advantage of the free third person in our cabin. That make the Alaska cruise a real bargain. We offered my Step-daughter a free cruise and we managed pretty well with three in an aft balcony.

 

NCL has slightly better entertainment than Celebrity. Food is not as good, but like I said it was pretty good on our Sun cruise.

 

Also, we like NCL's specialty restaurants, all of them. NCL has a wide variety of specialty restaurants and they are cheaper than Celebrity's. NCL has gone to al a carte, which some don't like, but managed pretty well.

 

One warning about NCL's beverage packages, is that the red wine selections are not the best and NCL charges you 18% of the value of the beverage packages, even if you are a moderate drinker. For a 7 day cruise you would pay $99 pp in gratuities just for choosing the beverage packages. We chose other promos for our 2018 NCL Dawn cruise.

 

NCL is competitive on pricing, especially with the free thlrd and fourth person.

[Debde]

RSLeesburg-I switched from Royal to NCL because of the Haven and the by far way better suite services. You will love the Haven.

 

No need to do reservations as the concierge will do all of that for you and yes-you can wing it day by day.

 

I believe if you book a Haven suite now, you and your husband will get the Beverage package and dining package and shore excursion credit so that is great savings right there.

 

I like being in the Haven. Easy access to the pool, private sundeck and small work out room. My next is on the Pearl, sister ship to Jade which is a smaller ship and does not have the Haven restaurant and bar inside but I think I am going to love it anyways. I will report back in a few weeks.

Huge difference between Royal suite perks and NCL with the Haven and its perks.

 

You will notice it right away even before boarding!! Private waiting room with coffee and snacks right away. first to be escorted on the ship. And lets not forget the butler who tend to your every need.

 

I'd book!! :D;)

[RSLeesburg]

Just wanted to report back. We are getting closer to booking this - meeting with my new TA tomorrow to discuss. I was waiting for the other 2018 schedules to be released to see if there was anything else we might want to do (like maybe Alaska), but I figure I can always cancel and rebook :D

 

In terms of cabins, I think I may go with the Haven 2-bedroom. For an 11 night cruise, the extra space and separate rooms may be better than the huge Owner's Suite. But, I was wondering if anyone had preferences on which cabin to pick - it looks like there is a huge selection at the moment, and all of them seem to surround the Haven pool. Are they all basically the same, or are some more desirable? Thanks.

[Starflyr3]

Just wanted to report back. We are getting closer to booking this - meeting with my new TA tomorrow to discuss. I was waiting for the other 2018 schedules to be released to see if there was anything else we might want to do (like maybe Alaska), but I figure I can always cancel and rebook :D

 

In terms of cabins, I think I may go with the Haven 2-bedroom. For an 11 night cruise, the extra space and separate rooms may be better than the huge Owner's Suite. But, I was wondering if anyone had preferences on which cabin to pick - it looks like there is a huge selection at the moment, and all of them seem to surround the Haven pool. Are they all basically the same, or are some more desirable? Thanks.

 

The only difference is that only 2 cabins have a straight line view down to the water -14012 and 14512, I believe. The rest look down on a white canopy that extends out a foot or so. For us, that made zero difference. We were in 14008 and loved being close to the elevators and the door to the courtyard. (Not that any Haven cabins are far from any of those things...)

[RSLeesburg]

Thanks. I am always amazed by the wealth of knowledge on this board!

 

 

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