DrNora

As mom of 3 frequent - cruising teens..

Any chance you can get on one of the ships with the water parks? NCL, RCL?I understand that getting to a port other than NO could be an undertaking with your large brood!

The teen clubs can be very blech. Out last 3 NCL cruises had many scheduled activities cancelled and out three gave up.

They play ping pong with kids they meet at the tables , spend time at the water park and ropes and hang out with us for dinner, shows, etc. they also meet up in lounge areas and play"Presidents and Idiots" or poker. Hey also have not been offered booze but have seen some kids their age that had been drinking .

RCCL ( Freedom class) has a better teen program in my kid's opinion. They were 17,17,15 on our last cruise .

All this being said- they have always enjoyed every cruise.

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Relatives of the woman posted on Cruise Law News.

They are thrilled that she was safely taken to the hospital.

She had been in the ship's infirmary for 2 days!

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Toma. Vodka, lemon juice, champagne

Oh my goodness! This may just be my favorite drink that i have never tasted!! All 3 of my favorite juices[emoji12]

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"Dining with different people every time you go to the MDR is, for us, torture. We meet people & have made some great friends, but when we sit down to a meal............ we'll choose who we're dining with & you can bet it won't be someonewe we've never met![/color]

Exactly! I never understood why we paid many$$ to sit with strangers. I am going on vacation to be with my family.

Others like to eat with table mates -more power to you! Several times on RCL we were out at huge tables with our three then-toddlers and several couples.

Who wants to eat with someone else's small kiddos? We have also been at a table where the husband and wife from another couple were fighting- that's not uncomfortable- and with several overly -sauced cruisers.

We now choose the"My Time " dining on RCL .

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You do not have to spend one extra dime on food once aboard. There is always food available for no up charge .

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There is an amazing lobster roll at the take out counter of Ocean Blue that you can get at lunch time on seas days( 12pm-2pm) .

Very delicious . There is a $10 charge but it is totally worth it.

You'll see a lot of the ship's officers eating here. This venue is a "do not miss" for us.

Howl at the Moon goes on for hours ! After 11pm it gets more adult( but you will be warned by the entertainers and in the Dailies)

People come and go to this all night so if it looks packed just sidle on in and wait for a seat. We find that the first hour usually has a lot of younger kids running around so we tend to go a bit later.

The bar service is excellent during the shows. Our three teens LOVE it.

Husband and I close the place several times each cruise.

Bring $ bills with you to Howl at the Moon.

Have a great trip !

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Read every single review that you can.

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Erocrobro is the CC member who has just posted the dailies for Getaway. There is a photobucket link in the review

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we are a few days away from our booking window for our September cruise. We sailed the Eastern itinerary in March. Does anyone who has sailed the current itinerary know what nights are Howl nights? I know you can't book Howl but I want to leave at least a couple of nights open. It's one of my wife's faves.

 

Thanks

 

 

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There are several reviews in this forum with the dailies posted. You can look on those . Howl is our favorite !

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We were able to book Howl at the Moon once onboard after the muster drill on the touch screens. It was the third, fourth and fifth night I believe. :)

Are you thinking of the comedy shows? Howl at the Moon doesn't need or take reservations-people come and go for the duration of the "show"

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So after taking a 2 year hiatus from cruising, we booked the POA for next year. This is a repeat for us from our 2nd ever cruise and probably will be the last family cruise we take as my kids head off to college the following summer. The last time I was on CC (about a year ago) there was a big brouhaha about how downhill the line had gotten. There was a lot of angst about not being able to take food to the room, something about the CEO was being all mean for charging to room service, trays in the hallways and such. So how are things now? I did notice that the suite perks weren't nearly as nice as they were when we booked Bermuda last year. I also read that the POA crew is still pretty mediocre as they were in 2008 and that the food isn't all that (still). So what's the latest scoop on NCL? Trending up...flat...or still spiraling downward?

I have not noticed any change in suite perks in the past several years. Our service has been amazing - no complaints. We have traveled NCL suites 3 times in the past 2 years and all has been lovely. I find the service much better on NCL than when we first started with them in 2006.

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Make comedy show reservations- they have been filling up fast from what I have read lately on CC. You can also download

The iConcierge app and make the show reservations while waiting to board.

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It was ninety days ( or maybe a hundred )for our cruise last June. This year the Haven payment date is 120 days out. Which stinks, btw!

If you are concerned, have you checked your account in NCL.com? It shows you the due date.

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Try Lands End as well.

 

 

 

Good luck :D

 

 

 

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Lands End does have swim "dresses" that do amazing things for us non-twig like females .

If you get the tie halter style- be careful when you jump off a snorkel boat.

The flotation device was all that was between my "girls" and the general public -and just barely. Husband almost choked laughing ...

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We didn't go to this the last time on the BA. Do you need reservations?

No

And you'll have a blast!

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It's not giving me that option, I can only view reservation.

I've noticed the format has recently changed though so wonder if they haven't added that option

It may be different for you. Are you on the UK website?

Geeez.... someone has a minority opinion or thought and the world is going to end!!

 

The thread gave many positive possibilities as to why this could've happened and LrgPizza rejected them as not at all plausible..... so, I looked at it from a different view

 

and yes, people return from cruises with complaints, over the top great experiences, wacky rumors that they try to pawn as truths, elaborate tales of the impossible....

 

I'm NOT saying LrgPizza is is entitled or unentitled..... I just brought up a different angle

Never said the world was going to end. Chill.

One theory ..... LrgPizza was having a bad day, decided to start a thread about some "phantom" VIP treatment to bring the attention to themselves..... if not, it's just a piece of "grandstanding entitlement" to post "look what I received for the second time and by gosh I have no idea why..... you mean, not all of you get this?"

 

No personal attack on LrgPizza meant and I'm just being the devil's advocate and sharing a thought "outside the box" because everyone is giving answers as this is if it is gospel

Seriously? Because people returning from cruises have nothing else to do? And if you have ever read LrgPizza comments, she is the queen of unentitlement. If that's a word. Geeez.....

Wow. Thanks for the information, there is more available than I thought. After doing some searches and research I have almost sold myself on the Haven. And the Aft Suites look amazing....as is the cost, haha! A couple follow-up questions. If I do book the Haven, do I then NOT have to concern myself with booking specialty restaurants way in advance (as I've been told we need to) since I can possibly utilize the concierge or butler to assist with that? Also, the thermal suite sounds heavenly as well--I read that I can pre-book this, although I don't seem to have that option in my reservation. Is it only available 90 days out maybe? And is it overkill if I have Haven access AND thermal suite...?

Last, I would assume Haven suites typically sell out so if I really want one, I should NOT wait until closer to departure and see if I can upgrade for potentially cheaper...? Thanks again; I appreciate you indulging my questions!

There were a ton of suites available yesterday on that cruise. Keep your eye on them and call upsell when they begin to dwindle, if they do. It is past final payment for suites that date -you would probably have to pay the going rate as you are not yet in final payment with your present cabin. There are several websites out there that will monitor price changes for you as well, but I would be more concerned with availability as there has been no downward suite price movement on those dates( we may be sailing with you!)

The balcony size in ALL in Haven units and spa suites as well as the FFP are teeny weeny. The exception is the DOS and the Aft penthouse. The aft PH is today is 3200 each plus fees, comes to 6670.I checked this morning.YOu do get the perks, but the price difference from a mini suite is staggering.

Thermal suite- remember that you have four stops on this cruise. MAke sure you will get enough use out of it to warrant purchase. There are only 2 sea days.I know that my husband would get his money's worth but I would not. We have purchased individual day passes on previous cruises.

I have booked a large aft balcony on the 25th of September cruise but may switch to your cruise before my final payment . Suite prices are insane for the September 25 cruise as well. No way is the Haven worth the extra 3600 for us for a port intensive cruise. This will be our first time in a non Haven cabin, but we love Getaway and see no need to upgrade unless there is a big drop. There is so much to do at night- we love Howl at the Moon and have a blast at the casino and other venues. The large balcony cabin that we have has a great views and is pretty private.

The HAven is really nice, but our last 3 cruises have been on Getaway and the pool area in the Haven was taken over by large families with many kids. It was not peaceful. My teens played cards in the lounge, we had dinner there once and several a breakfasts but that was it. The concierge did make us a dinner reservation one night when we needed to switch.

I have read here that if you see a big price drop after your final payment that you may be able to get some of the difference in OBC . I have never had a price drop on a cabin that we booked so I have zero experience with this.

YOu will love Getaway either way!

 

If I understand you correctly you prepaid your excursion with the special Shorex # mentioned above at the full rate and once the excursion is completed they will credit you with the $50 or $75 in OBC?

Yes. I did this last summer. Paid upfront and received the credit onboard.

I don't know anything about her husband or any of that, I just know that most life insurance policies won't pay if a death is ruled a suicide, whereas they will pay if the cause is accidental.

CNN and Fox both had an article about her husband. He is 45 and is a world renowned race horse trainer. He was out of town when the tragedy occurred and returned home to be with the children.

IF you can do the upsell to The Haven and the stateroom you want, you will retain any promotions you have with your current booking. You will not receive all 4 promotions and will still have to pay the gratuities on UBP/SDP promos (if applicable). Also unless you pre-pay DSC, your DSC will increase by $2 per person per day. You do not need your TA to do an upsell - just call them yourself and have your payment ready.

 

IF you did a guarantee balcony, which I doubt since you have connecting staterooms, you would most likely

 

If the connecting balcony stateroom is in the same class or lower as you are currently booked in, you should be able to move no problem and retain your current promotions/pricing. Don't expect a refund if its a lower category.

 

 

Also just remember the passengers booked in the connecting balcony DO NOT have access to The Haven lounge, pool, sundecks, etc. Make sure to shuffle passengers according to who you want to have Haven benefits. The balcony passengers CAN join you in The Haven restaurant for a $25 upcharge per person. I believe they cap that at 2 meals, but ask when you board.

 

Best of luck! Let us know how it turns out!

I would first check to see if the cabins you desire are available. I have better luck on a Brit site mentioned here frequently. If you find the configuration and up sell, keep 2 adults in the suite and book minors in the connecting cabin ( no adults can be in the connecting balcony for this to work) . Minors traveling with adults that are booked in a connecting suite will receive full Haven access. However, if you try and book 3 adults in the suite and kids only in the balcony it may be a no -go. But if you are a family of parents and minors, check availability and book it.

I have done this with our kids but have a relative who thought she would be clever and book 4 adults in an H6 and 3 kids next door( from 2 different families) NCL said no.

This is only my experience, others may vary.

Must have been a different week, we left June 6th. This occurred around 7pm I think. We had just finished eating and abruptly the ship went sideways and we heard calls and knew something happened. They dropped a lifeboat and we saw them bring her back on board. She was held in the infirmary until our next stop and an ambulance took her away once the ship docked. I went to a Q&A where the Captain was asked tons of questions about it which was very informative. Like you, we were very impressed with how quick the staff reacted to the incident. I would say it only took about 30-45 minutes to retrieve her.

 

Still thinking of her and her family. I know this is extremely difficult.

We left the following week. That's an amazing story- can't believe that someone survives such a fall!

Last June we were on Norw Getaway and they have the system. A woman jumped overboard and the minute the system picked this up a large buoy was automatically put in the water and the ship very quickly turned around. They ended up rescuing her I believe because of this equipment. Getaway is a newer ship, would be great like you said if other ships were required to add it.

 

Thinking of her family. I know how devastating it is to have a missing loved one.

We were on Getaway as well in June- was it on the first night of the cruise before 11pm? if it's the same trip it turned out to be a cushion of some sort that was tossed by some drunk guy .Withing 5 minutes of the Oscar Oscar call I had a woman next to me sobbing that she had seen the lady jump. Security came and got her and it turned out that she really didn't see anything. I have to say I was blown away by the rapid response. I had been walking through the the Haven lounge, the call rang out and the staff flew in to action. It was pretty amazing. I was on deck 16 and it seemed as though the entire ship was silent.

It may well be a different trip but whatever mechanism Getaway has in place truly impressed us.

The ship is required to return to the estimated site of the incident, unless the government agency involved releases the ship. Cruise ships are not the best platform to perform SAR in open oceans, so once governmental assets, from whatever country has taken lead, are on site, they will generally release the ship.

 

Loss of one of 6 thrusters would have absolutely no effect on Liberty's ability to perform a SAR mission, unless it was blowing a full gale, in which case the ship would be released even sooner. Even without thrusters, there are pre-designed turning procedures that can bring a ship back to its original track line, not just a reciprocal course, but the exact track line within a couple of ship lengths.

Chang:

I love reading your posts on all the different forums. The information you provide is so grounding. Nice to have factual info as sometimes these boards get kooky with speculation.

I really appreciate that you take the time to follow these threads and provide such insight.

My dad is a Kings Point alumnus. He's also from Maine-

Thanks again