Live from NOLA and NCL Breakaway - 3/12 thru 3/19 😀⚓️🕖☘️🍸

[CTCruiser001]

The ship cleared customs while I was in the shower - about 07:45 am...Announcement made that walk offs without luggage assistance could start leaving. We'll be getting dressed and doing that shortly. 

[Ranger28]

We got off the ship about 7:15 and are already driving and at the Mississippi state line. They began debarkation before it was announced.

[rjm11]

7 minutes ago, Ranger28 said:

We got off the ship about 7:15 and are already driving and at the Mississippi state line. They began debarkation before it was announced.

thanks! So hopefully an 11:00am flight won't bee too bad.

[CTCruiser001]

13 minutes ago, Ranger28 said:

We got off the ship about 7:15 and are already driving and at the Mississippi state line. They began debarkation before it was announced.

 

Safe travels! Did they ever find that lost bag? 

[CTCruiser001]

5 minutes ago, rjm11 said:

thanks! So hopefully an 11:00am flight won't bee too bad.

 

Should be fine. We left the cabin at 8:20, whisked our way down the crew elevator and joined the disembarking line for customs at 8:25. Got into a taxi at 8:30. Easy peasy. 

 

 

[rjm11]

3 minutes ago, CTCruiser001 said:

 

Should be fine. We left the cabin at 8:20, whisked our way down the crew elevator and joined the disembarking line for customs at 8:25. Got into a taxi at 8:30. Easy peasy. 

 

 

thank you! And thanks for such a great review- I was sick all week with a kidney infection and this review helped me keep my spirits up!

[CTCruiser001]

3 minutes ago, rjm11 said:

thank you! And thanks for such a great review- I was sick all week with a kidney infection and this review helped me keep my spirits up!

 

Feel better!

[sherrihall128]

I've really enjoyed your review and following along. We board in 3 weeks. Any tips for food/shows/experiences that are not to be missed?

[CTCruiser001]

Luggage belts aren't working at airport. They are making everyone take all bags through security.  Otherwise the bags will be delivered  on a later flight. 😒

[CTCruiser001]

Longest TSA Pre-Check line I've ever seen. 😳

[brookie848]

@CTCruiser001 I've really enjoyed your review this week. We were in the Haven on the Epic a few weeks ago. It was our first cruise since 2019. Of course we noticed some differences, but we enjoyed the trip.

 

One thing I'm curious about is the snacks/butler service you received in the Haven. On previous cruises we would receive 2-3 plates of snacks every afternoon (for three people). On this cruise we only received one -- and they were a bit sad (one sandwich with no chips, four pieces of chocolate, etc.). Our M&Ms were full when we embarked, but were never refilled. We requested cookies every day, but we never got them unless we made a specific request for that day. Our orange juice and tea in the fridge were never refilled.

 

I'm just wondering if this was a butler issue or if this is more of a general cutback. Regardless, we had a nice time. We just felt that the vibe was different on this trip. And as an FYI, we never requested room service or in-suite dining. We are pretty low-key overall.

[goldmom]

7 minutes ago, brookie848 said:

@CTCruiser001 I've really enjoyed your review this week. We were in the Haven on the Epic a few weeks ago. It was our first cruise since 2019. Of course we noticed some differences, but we enjoyed the trip.

 

One thing I'm curious about is the snacks/butler service you received in the Haven. On previous cruises we would receive 2-3 plates of snacks every afternoon (for three people). On this cruise we only received one -- and they were a bit sad (one sandwich with no chips, four pieces of chocolate, etc.). Our M&Ms were full when we embarked, but were never refilled. We requested cookies every day, but we never got them unless we made a specific request for that day. Our orange juice and tea in the fridge were never refilled.

 

I'm just wondering if this was a butler issue or if this is more of a general cutback. Regardless, we had a nice time. We just felt that the vibe was different on this trip. And as an FYI, we never requested room service or in-suite dining. We are pretty low-key overall.

We had a very similar experience in the Haven on the Gem a few weeks ago.  We still had a great cruise but found the butler service lackluster in comparison to past cruises.  Again, like you,  we wondered if the very sad one plate afternoon snack was the result of new policy or if it was our butler.

[CTCruiser001]

19 minutes ago, brookie848 said:

@CTCruiser001 I've really enjoyed your review this week. We were in the Haven on the Epic a few weeks ago. It was our first cruise since 2019. Of course we noticed some differences, but we enjoyed the trip.

 

One thing I'm curious about is the snacks/butler service you received in the Haven. On previous cruises we would receive 2-3 plates of snacks every afternoon (for three people). On this cruise we only received one -- and they were a bit sad (one sandwich with no chips, four pieces of chocolate, etc.). Our M&Ms were full when we embarked, but were never refilled. We requested cookies every day, but we never got them unless we made a specific request for that day. Our orange juice and tea in the fridge were never refilled.

 

I'm just wondering if this was a butler issue or if this is more of a general cutback. Regardless, we had a nice time. We just felt that the vibe was different on this trip. And as an FYI, we never requested room service or in-suite dining. We are pretty low-key overall.

 

9 minutes ago, goldmom said:

We had a very similar experience in the Haven on the Gem a few weeks ago.  We still had a great cruise but found the butler service lackluster in comparison to past cruises.  Again, like you,  we wondered if the very sad one plate afternoon snack was the result of new policy or if it was our butler.

 

Yes our experience was the same. I wonder if they are giving the butlers too many cabins to handle. This could be a future cutback if things worsen for the cruiseline. Doesn't really affect us as we don't use the butler as much as some others do. 

[CTCruiser001]

55 minutes ago, sherrihall128 said:

I've really enjoyed your review and following along. We board in 3 weeks. Any tips for food/shows/experiences that are not to be missed?

 

All the food is good - Any meal you didn't have to cook for or clean up after is excellent!

 

As previously said, Syd Norman's Pour House was fantastic. We went to all their shows throughout the week. 

 

Have a wonderful cruise!

[CTCruiser001]

It's 9:45 am and we made it through security and are sitting in the Delta Skymiles Lounge. We have some time before our flight...I guess we could have stayed onboard a little longer and enjoyed one last sit down breakfast.  No matter, we had a wonderful week anyway!

[Mizunosport]

I am so bummed looking at the wine list. I prefer reds and everything is far above $15 a glass. It says it’s about $250 to upgrade to the premium plus package but looking at this chart it appears I’d have to pay a daily fee on top of that? How do I know if it’s worth it to upgrade?

[CTCruiser001]

14 minutes ago, Mizunosport said:

I am so bummed looking at the wine list. I prefer reds and everything is far above $15 a glass. It says it’s about $250 to upgrade to the premium plus package but looking at this chart it appears I’d have to pay a daily fee on top of that? How do I know if it’s worth it to upgrade?

 

Tough call - Only you can make that decision. If you upgrade to the FAS+ package you also get 2 additional specialty dinners, and unlimited wifi. The cost was something like $299 per person. It was worth the extra cost for us. 

[CTCruiser001]

Funny observation at the check in counter for Delta. Scale needs to be calibrated - Shows 2 lbs on readout with empty scale...Make sure you don't use this one on a heavy bag...Our large bag weighed in at exactly 50 pounds! We would be paying overweight fees if we used this scale! 

 

[CTCruiser001]

After a bit of a delay we started boarding the plane. Watching the ramp for our gate checked bags to ensure they come with us!

 

[CTCruiser001]

Yay! We'd recognize that orange duct tape (bags on the left) anywhere!!!

 

[NikiPinkston]

3 minutes ago, CTCruiser001 said:

After a bit of a delay we started boarding the plane. Watching the ramp for our gate checked bags to ensure they come with us!

 

I've always thought of doing this, but how do you know when they'll be loading everyone's bags? We're always checked in at least 2 hours prior to our flight, so that gives them a lot of time to make it on the plane. In your experience, do they load all of the checked luggage at one time?

[CTCruiser001]

4 minutes ago, NikiPinkston said:

I've always thought of doing this, but how do you know when they'll be loading everyone's bags? We're always checked in at least 2 hours prior to our flight, so that gives them a lot of time to make it on the plane. In your experience, do they load all of the checked luggage at one time?

 

We've always checked our bags at the front during check in. Less hassle to deal with waiting in the airport. For ramp-side check in, you drop your bag off at the end of the tunnel and it gets moved to the underside of the plane. 

[NikiPinkston]

Ah, thank you, that's a good idea. I felt like that was kind of a dumb question, but I'm a little "overboard" about doing whatever I can to make sure our luggage doesn't get lost. We mark our bags, too - with colorful luggage straps and ribbons on our handles - as well as placing  both Gegos and SmartTags inside each piece. If our bags get lost, it won't be for lack of us trying. 🙂

I've really enjoyed your live as this is a cruise we want to take. Your photos and narrative made me feel like I was right there with you. Thank you for taking the time to share your adventure with us, and have a safe journey home!❤️

[Laurablue]

On 3/17/2023 at 10:57 PM, CTCruiser001 said:

 

There isn't a Haven section in the theater that I'm aware of.

 

Omar will help you get in early to select your seat of choice. On the 1st day he hands out a form which you can check off what you want. It shows the dates and times for both 'Six' and 'Burn the Floor'. We received the form before embarking...So pay attention to his speech at in the waiting room if you're among the first few to be brought on board. Otherwise, inquire at his desk. 

 

On 3/17/2023 at 10:50 PM, Molokai-Chuck said:

CTCruiser001

When you attend a show in the main theater, whether  it is by reservation or first come .. first seated, do you just show up there and find/go to the seats that say "Haven" on them?

Once again a big thanks for all your hard work on the postings you have done. Only 1 week and one day till I give it a try!

 

Molokai-Chuck

We were on board from 03/05-0312 & there were seats in the theater reserved for Haven guests. They’re on the left side about midway up from stage. We were able to reserve both shows upon embarkation as well as several of the comedy shows.

[Molokai-Chuck]

Laurablue

Thanks for the info ... I appreciate that. We get on one week from today.

Molokai=Chuck