Random musings about January 5 Breakaway cruise.

[davy jones]

also sailed on 5th to 19th to aruba [oops], traveled with son & spouse & daughter & spouse ,all six of us on different decks, mid & aft, we were together but not joined at the hip, the last few days of the cruise my wife started getting sick. In the following week all six of us developed the most nastiest cold/virus that was treated with antibiotics,just wondering if anyone else experienced anything similar

 

Yes. We both came down with the flu in the days after the cruise.

 

I don't know the incubation period for this strain of flu, but a person from the cruise sat across from us on the bus ride home and called it the "cruise from hell" because she was ill during the sailing.

 

This happened despite the fact that we were getting the spray from the washy washy people constantly when entering dining areas to the point where I had skin flaking.

[WashyWashyHappyHappy95]

You gotta make sure to hit the hand sanitizer a second time after you've touched the tongs to load up your plate. Then get drinks. Then sanitize again.

 

Seems like a lot, but I've been on 9 cruises and never gotten sick once.

[geegee1]

You gotta make sure to hit the hand sanitizer a second time after you've touched the tongs to load up your plate. Then get drinks. Then sanitize again.

 

Seems like a lot, but I've been on 9 cruises and never gotten sick once.

 

I'm bringing a box of individual hand wipes to use every time we go to the buffet

[ellymn]

we are not big buffet fans [except for the pickled beets that when you get them you think you hit the lottery], but that aside how about elevator buttons,the menus they hand you in the dining areas,any handrail, furniture you touch to adjust your very cabin [ the stewards can't sanitize every minute] & the untold other spots where the microbes are waiting for you to touch

[bob brown]

I am enjoying reading your commentary or "review" very much...you are a gifted writer!

 

I was on the next cruise, and after reading about the flu-like illness on board, here on CC, I took a lot of extra precautions.

I brought a bottle of hydrogen peroxide wipes, and upon entering my cabin, thoroughly wiped down every possible surface I could touch, including places like the inside of safe, hangar's, phone, switches, etc.....

 

In addition, I avoided the buffet, and had meals where the staff served, as much as possible...and used the hand washing stations and sanitizer dispenser's whenever I touched anything...which I also avoided as much as possible. At first, it took conscious effort for these precaution's but later it became automatic routine. If I was seated in some venue, and someone seated near me was obviously suffering with hacking cough's, I would relocate my seat.

 

Taking these precaution's has kept me healthy, so far.....in a time when much of the country in general is burdened with flu-like sympton's.

[ellymn]

those precautions couldn't have hurt but my frau & I have both had the flu [senior version supposidly stronger] shot, Jan' 19th has a significant importance to us & this was the 3rd year we took this cruise including that date,& this is the first time any of us got sick, we were not anymore cautious the prior two years, I think was just the roll of the dice

[1stimecruiser]

Great review. Enjoyed your Adult Beverage Package comments. We are in the same boat. We got the package for tips and now have a plan to break even since we don't drink much. We leave next week on a 14 day cruise (from Miami) and are looking forward to getting away from the cold winter.

[ferg42995]

Just wondering about the shows. When you reserve tickets, are the reservations for a specific seat, or is it all general seating?

 

Also, can you tell me more about Margaritaville? Is it a bar or a restaurant? If a restaurant, is it free or extra charge?

 

How late are things "hopping" on the ship?

 

Did you have to arrive really early to get a seat for the hypnotist, magician, etc?

 

Thanks!

[ellymn]

just a bit about the drink package, does it pay, do you come out even? first let me preface we are both retired civil servants & our pensions are based on the salaries of twenty years ago,that makes us kinda old school, post depression babies. We are semi teetotalers,the plan was to enjoy ourselves and not worry about our drink budget We would try different drinks, have a soda if we wanted to, have a hard or soft drink with our meals instead of the free iced tea, and do a little social drinking with my party of two,did it pay monetarily, maybe yes/no, did it pay enhancing our cruise experience ubet, would we do it again ,in a heart beat

[ggTexasGal]

just a bit about the drink package, does it pay, do you come out even? first let me preface we are both retired civil servants & our pensions are based on the salaries of twenty years ago,that makes us kinda old school, post depression babies. We are semi teetotalers,the plan was to enjoy ourselves and not worry about our drink budget We would try different drinks, have a soda if we wanted to, have a hard or soft drink with our meals instead of the free iced tea, and do a little social drinking with my party of two,did it pay monetarily, maybe yes/no, did it pay enhancing our cruise experience ubet, would we do it again ,in a heart beat

 

We have found that IF (between us) we consume an average of 4 (total for both of us) glasses of wine or mixed cocktails, per day, we more than break even for the cost of the package! If you were to have only 1 of certain drinks that NCL charges more than our average $10.95 drinks (most items we order) and a few sodas per day, you still are ahead. Essentially, if you drink approximately $17+ of beverages, each person, each day (or averaged between the 2 of you), ABSOLUTELY worth it! We always select UBP, because having the UBP removes "budget stress," and allows freedom to try new things that neither of us would normally order!

*** Just remember... Drinks over $15 will be charged the difference. For example: some Martinis are $17.95. You would sign a receipt for $2.95 difference on each one of those ordered.

- - - As a final note: Some people do not realize that some ports have a tax that is accessed while still within that port's zone. (We have found that the tax amounts to approximately $1.00 +/- per drink (again, given a receipt to sign when the tax is added).

[ellymn]

hooray you hit it right on the head 'budget stress & try new things" yes New York levies a tax on drinks while you are still in port but who cares.

[Giantfan13]

Just wondering about the shows. When you reserve tickets, are the reservations for a specific seat, or is it all general seating?

 

Also, can you tell me more about Margaritaville? Is it a bar or a restaurant? If a restaurant, is it free or extra charge?

 

How late are things "hopping" on the ship?

 

Did you have to arrive really early to get a seat for the hypnotist, magician, etc?

 

Thanks!

 

 

As for the 'big' shows in the main theater, Rock of Ages and Burn the Floor, you would be wise to make a reservation prior to boarding, on line. You can make the reservation once you get on board, but only if there are openings. It is easy to do online. If you don't have a reservation, a stand by line forms, and is admitted 10 minutes prior to show time. If you have a reservation, they scan your ship card and it indicated that you do have a reservation.

As for the Hypnotist and magician, you can walk in anytime as the theater wasn't full. If you want a more 'prime' seat then you should get there earlier, say 15 minutes before show time.

Many of the other shows and entertainment ask that you make a reservation, but you can do that on board, and most likely the same day. We used the in board screens to show if you do need a reservation and to make the reservations. Very easy.

Cheers

Len.

[davy jones]

Just wondering about the shows. When you reserve tickets, are the reservations for a specific seat, or is it all general seating?

 

Also, can you tell me more about Margaritaville? Is it a bar or a restaurant? If a restaurant, is it free or extra charge?

 

How late are things "hopping" on the ship?

 

Did you have to arrive really early to get a seat for the hypnotist, magician, etc?

 

Thanks!

Reserved shows are general seating. The theater is opened 30 to 45 minutes before the show and only people with reservations are permitted to enter. They will scan your room card. It is general seating. About 10 minutes before the show, the theater is opened to the standby line.

 

Margaritaville is more of an outdoor restaurant. There is a small breakfast buffet (no charge) on sea days (weather permitting). It is then open from lunchtime until 5 with a $15 cover charge. There is a bar in the restaurant that (surprisingly) primarily serves margaritas. The restaurant was pretty much empty throughout the cruise. I did wander in to the bar one day and get a margarita though. You can use the UBP for drinks there.

 

I really don't know when things slow down at night. This couple only hopped until about 11:30-11:45, when we hopped back to the cabin.

 

There appeared to be empty seats at all of the nonreserved headliner shows that we attended. You will need to arrive early if you want to be near the front or get an aisle seat. People were still finding seats 5 minutes before the show.

[davy jones]

just a bit about the drink package, does it pay, do you come out even? first let me preface we are both retired civil servants & our pensions are based on the salaries of twenty years ago,that makes us kinda old school, post depression babies. We are semi teetotalers,the plan was to enjoy ourselves and not worry about our drink budget We would try different drinks, have a soda if we wanted to, have a hard or soft drink with our meals instead of the free iced tea, and do a little social drinking with my party of two,did it pay monetarily, maybe yes/no, did it pay enhancing our cruise experience ubet, would we do it again ,in a heart beat

 

That is pretty much how we feel about the UBP. It does eliminate budget worries and enhance the experience. We would choose it again as part of the "free" packages, but might not if we had the option for a sail away fare without perks.

[suave1983]

We were able to snag a nice upgrade from a deck 5 OV to a mini suite through the bid process. Our MS bid was $25pp more than our balcony bid. It was our first experience in a mini suite. We enjoyed it, but would not pay standard prices for a MS over a balcony.

 

Can you explain a little more about the bid process? Did NCL initiate it, or did you? At what point doe this happen? What is considered a "good" bid?

[davy jones]

We were able to snag a nice upgrade from a deck 5 OV to a mini suite through the bid process. Our MS bid was $25pp more than our balcony bid. It was our first experience in a mini suite. We enjoyed it, but would not pay standard prices for a MS over a balcony.

 

Can you explain a little more about the bid process? Did NCL initiate it, or did you? At what point doe this happen? What is considered a "good" bid?

 

I will attempt to explain the process, but others are free to jump in and help out. There are a number of threads that talk about this.

 

As a sailing date draws near, cruise lines try to increase revenue by trying to get already booked passengers to "upgrade" or "upsell" to an unsold cabin in a higher category at a "discounted" price. Some lines will contact booked passengers directly with upgrade offers. NCL is different in that they use an online bid process.

 

At some time after final payments are made, you may or may not receive an email from NCL inviting you to bid on an upgrade. I did not receive an email. However, you can still bid. Once bidding is opened, you can log into "my cruises" on the NCL website and find a link to the upgrade bid page. You can bid on an upgrade of up to two categories.

 

Some upgrades have minimum bids. There is a "meter" that will tell you how "good" or "poor" a bid is. Ignore it. NCL's goal is revenue maximization, so I suspect that they will try to lure the highest possible bid. In our case, our bids were said to be in the "poor" range.

 

As you might imagine, "success" will vary according to how the cruise is selling.

 

You can change a bid that has not been accepted at any time. If a bid is accepted, you will be upgraded and your credit card will be charged. You may receive a confirmation or rejection anytime up to two days before sailing.

 

In our case, they trying to fill the cruise with "upgrades" and greatly reduced prices on inside cabins. Our "poor" bid was accepted pretty quickly.

[Keith1010]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

Keith

[Terry in NJ]

Davy Jones, this is all great stuff. Thank you for taking the time to post your thoughts and respond to the questions.