GeezerCouple

I would go in either 8000 or 8002. It was definitely a cabin next to 8000 - we looked through the door ;). I'm not sure there are any elevators in the "white area".

 

I agree with other posters, I wouldn't go under the Terrace cafe or Waves grill.

 

Good luck with your choice.

 

Brenda

Great, thanks so much.

We grabbed 8002.

The opposite two cabins are under the fitness center, and we could just imagine treadmills thumping *very* early - and not used by us!

Someday, maybe we'll be fortunate enough to enjoy a long cruise. It must be wonderful. (DH isn't eager to retire - a nice "problem" - but that means we'll start our "retirement travel" in bits and pieces. We've decided not to postpone it any longer. We "officially" start in about a month. Some cruises, and some land-based trips, and some combos.)

We'll probably be on the Riviera before we have a chance to see the Regatta.

(We had to reschedule a Regatta cruise in 2014 until 2015, alas, due to an unexpected conference rescheduling. At least we had plenty of advance notice. And we got 8002 as a consolation prize for the delay, at least ;-)

Are the Regatta "mid-ship" PH suites under the public areas also subject to noise problems, or is it mostly the noise of swinging doors and food service equipment that causes the noise under the aft areas?

Many thanks!

GeezerCouple

We were in 8000 for 28 days on Regatta and loved it. We chose this cabin as it is directly below the card room so there was no noise from above. There is a door directly outside which leads to officers' cabins and the bridge. The Chief Engineer was next to us but we never heard him. We occasionally heard the door in the corridor but never during the night. We would definitely book this cabin again.

 

Brenda

Good to know!

Would you choose 8000 or 8002?

We were slightly wary of 8000, because we weren't quite sure what was in that "white area" next door. We figured it would include some senior officer quarters, but it could be an elevator immediately next to 8000.

But 8002 is a bit closer to the stairs/elevators.

It's a shame that the PH's are all under public areas on these ships.

Many thanks!

GeezerCouple

You have been so wonderfully supportive -- truly, I hope to have the opportunity to meet you in person some day to express my thanks.

 

Unfortunately, I've heard nothing more from NCL. While that troubles me deeply, I and my family are committed to having a great vacation in one of the most beautiful places on our precious planet. I plan to do a full report when we return.

 

Again, many thanks for your kindness.

 

Midnight Blue

You wrote:

"I and my family are committed to having a great vacation in one of the most beautiful places on our precious planet."

We have the same hopes (without some of the serious snafu's - in the best sense of that acronym! - you've experienced).

Time will tell whether this will be our only cruise on NCL or not. It would be awfully nice if the ship experiences "exceed our expectations".

(Those expectations are no longer particularly high. We now expect the ship to be a rather mediocre hotel, at best, that follows us around from island to island, rather than a great cruise as well. We'll see.)

I probably can't use a brand name here, but there is a commercial that has a motto we've taken to heart.

There is a photo of the liquor product, and in very simple type below that:

Living well is the best revenge

It doesn't quite apply here, but it's "close enough..." :)

Have a GREAT visit to HAWAII!

GeezerCouple

And still no response from NCL to the email I sent to the address that was included in the post to the Cruise Critic forum.

Uh oh....

What a shame.

I just posted elsewhere that we hoped NCL had "done the right thing".

How dreadful to know they haven't even tried!

But to repeat from our other post:

"We hope that you have a WONDERFUL time, and ... this cruise is about HAWAII , and that's the main point for most of us.

.

.

.

Let us know how your trip is.

We hope to hear you've had lots of wonderful excursions/experiences! "

GeezerCouple

Aieeeeee... I'm booked in 12006 in just over 2 weeks. :eek:

 

Here's hoping they get the problems fixed. At least it's nice to hear that the butler, concierge and cabin steward were good....

I thought of you IMMEDIATELY upon reading Caroldoll's comments.

This has been quite an ordeal for several, and your situation has troubled us the most.

I hope you've somehow managed to get suitable accommodations for your needs, given what you were "sold" when you originally made the reservations.

It would be very comforting to know that NCL "did the right thing" (even if belatedly).

We are just crossing our fingers, and mostly very, very relieved that at the last minute, we chose NOT to select a "new" cabin on Deck 13.

But to have a leak in the best cabin on the ship? (It's obviously not okay to have a leak in ANY cabin!)

NCL has only a few hours during turnover to get that fixed properly, without having a major inconvenience to the Guests staying there.

(Obviously, this type of maintenance problem is a nightmarish scenario for any property owner when there isn't a good vacancy opportunity.

But this is hardly the only problem we've been reading about NCL and their customer service, unfortunately.

We are still totally baffled by how NCL handled the changes - or lack thereof - made during the renovations, and the major inaccuracies in the descriptions they posted - and kept posted - for the public.)

We hope that you have a WONDERFUL time, and ... this cruise is about HAWAII , and that's the main point for most of us.

(However, having a properly functioning, usable bathroom is also part of the experience! NCL really can't afford to have Guests slipping on wet floors due to plumbing leaks, after all...)

Let us know how your trip is.

We hope to hear you've had lots of wonderful excursions/experiences!

GeezerCouple

my wife's priority is to get into the cabin and do her almost manic Clorox whip down of the cabin. now don't get me wrong she's not a germaphobe. but no hard surface in that cabin doesn't get a little one on one time with a Clorox cleanup. knobs ,pulls, phones ,handles, switch's and the things she does to that remote makes me cringe. our second or third cruise had a terrible noro outbreak and since then a germ doesn't stand a chance in our cabin . hell she puts the whips in her carry on so its there even if my clothes aren't

"...she puts the whips in her carry on so its there even if my clothes aren't"

Oh. Okay.

This is our first time on NCL.

I hadn't seen this on other "What to Pack" lists, but now we know.

And clothing optional, no less...

:)

GeezerCouple

"Low cost" (or "reasonable cost" - subjective, I know!) WiFi might make more sense than truly "free".

That way, those who need/want to *use* the WiFi would have convenient access, without exhorbitant charges, but passengers would be less likely to leave their browsers open, automatically checking for email "all the time", such as forgetting to turn it off when off the ship, or at night. That would help with the bandwidth constraints, while allowing good access when desired.

Do NOT like the "all included excursions", because that means we are really paying for them, even if/when we'd want a quiet day, an excursion on our own, or a private tour.

GeezerCouple

Well, to be honest, while I scrolled through your photos, DH did mumble something about my interrupting his work. (Yup, he did mention something about that before I insisted he look.)

So I went back to this first photo you posted, and pointed to the open door at the starboard side of the Riviera's bow, and said that was the gangplank, so he should pay attention! :eek:

GeezerCouple

Photo Tour of the Riviera - March 2013

 

We have just returned from our 10-day Caribbean Hideaways cruise on the Riviera, out of Miami to five great islands.

 

My wife and I are pretty seasoned cruisers, with 25+ cruises... but never on an upscale line.

As we ran out of options for itineraries on our cruise line of choice (Norwegian), we began to explore other lines.

 

The Oceania experience seemed to be a very good fit for us. Rather than make our first try on a long or exotic voyage, we chose this trip from Miami to see how close we came to finding a good match for us.

 

It was a bullseye. We throroughly enjoyed every aspect of the trip and found the Riviera to be nearly the perfect ship in every way.

 

I will post my Cruise and Port Review on a different thread, but this thread will address my impressions of the Riviera in pictures.

 

I enjoy taking pictures and sharing them. When we were in the discovery mode, like so many other rookies, I spent hour upon hour crawling over every post on this forum, looking for insight and advice.

 

I hope by creating this thread, I can pay it forward to some newbie down the road who also wants to see just what is this ship all about.

 

We certainly are now Oceania fans, booking our Winter trip onboard...and planning our 2014 cruise as well... on Oceania.

 

 

So... a walk around the Riviera.

 

Your photos are breathtaking.

DH's eyes really opened wide as I scrolled through them.

Thank you so much for taking the time to take the photos, and then to post them here.

I've decided to surprise DH with a camera like this, and present it to him just before we leave for our next cruise.

Alas, that one isn't Oceania, but it's a destination that was at the top of our travel list. I'm going to have to keep reminding him that he should NOT judge the future cruises by this next one.

THEN... Oceania... here we come...:)

We've already got two Oceania cruises booked, first on the Regatta, and then the Riviera, for starters.

GeezerCouple

Thanks...no secret. I have had this one for about a year...and is the best pocket-sized camera I have ever seen.

 

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V

 

18 megapixel, 20x optical zoom, GPS, WiFi, and a gazillion features ...and shoots HD movies to boot.

 

 

 

 

I booked a SE suite on deck 13 for Dec 7. Now I wonder what I will be looking at. Is that terraced and I will be looking down on someone else's balcony on deck 12?

 

What are the differences between a deck 13 SE and a deck 10 SE? I may have to change.

We ALMOST booked one of those *new* PH Suites on Dec 13.

We - and our travel agent - KEPT asking NCL about why the deck plans for Deck 13 had that "white area" around everything. No other deck plans showed that.

And for good measure, we called another cruise specialist travel agent.

(As an aside, this agent was told by NCL that the categories of suites on Deck 13 were totally different!)

We didn't trust that anyone knew what was "going on" with respect to Deck 13.

We chose Deck 10, even though it wasn't fresh and new.

But it was "knew" in that we knew what we'd be getting.

LOOK AT THE PHOTO POSTED EARLIER.

It looks like all suites and especially the balconies on Deck 13 will be like living in a fishbowl.

Last time I looked, there were still suites available on Deck 10 for that cruise.

GeezerCouple

I'm told -- who knows if it's correct -- that two connecting PH suites aren't available for that cruise.

 

I so agree with you that $300 really isn't enough. The lawyer in me wanted to continue the fight. My family asked me to let it go.

 

I know it will never happen, but NCL... you could really turn this mess around by proactively offering more. I should never have had to call your corporate office and fight for compensation -- and no one else should have to do it, either.

How soon is your cruise?

You can probably check online with some degree of accuracy (??) by starting a place-holder reservation (perhaps on behalf of some new imaginary friends :) ) to see what PH suites show as available.

And if you aren't in the cancellation period, it could well be that some reservations will be cancelled, or cabin changes made, etc.

If you can make do with the lesser privacy, that DOS suite really does look very nice indeed.

And NOTE TO NCL: DO THE RIGHT THING FOR THESE FOLKS (everyone affected by what is now obviously false advertising): The $$ cost to you (NCL) of fixing this for everyone affected is a pittance of your operating budget. And compare this to what could become a social media disaster (and wait 'til a "real" travel journalist picks this up!), not to mention the Florida AG...

It is just a very few cabins (but especially that top drawer DOS!) that are affected. Fix it "right".

GeezerCouple

Wow, what a great attitude. I don't know if I could be as gracious had I been in your situation. Thanks for the updates here and enjoy your cruise!

Agree.

For Midnight Blue:

I'm glad you finally got "closure" (not that I think "closure" offers the satisfaction/resolution often implied by that word), and at least now can plan for your trip knowing where you'll be.

And the general appointments in the DOS are no doubt going to be far nicer. (Especially if any of you play the piano - what fun ;-)

Would 2 connecting PH suites work for you?

That would still be LESS space, but it would be better than the 2-bedroom family suite (if I've got that right).

And the general level of the cabins would be more similar.

And you'd have the "two separate bedrooms" promised to you when you made the reservation, and continually promised you by their advertising all this time...

NCL's offer of $300??

That's a pittance for the [purposeful?/negligent?] misleading information you - and others - were repeatedly given over a long period of time (while the correct information was fully available to NCL - it was their OWN information, after all!), and the way you were treated.

But worst: You wanted/expected/paid for TWO separate bedrooms. Having only one bedroom (and not really "separate" as best as can be seen from the floor plan), this is NOT the type of accommodation you wanted.

$300 is a "normal" OBC, not for what is a pretty major and outrageous failure on NCL's part. This WAS avoidable - that is what is so unfortunate.

You and the others similarly situated should receive far more compensation, something more commensurate with the serious loss of privacy for a week (and that's not even mentioning the way you and the others have been treated).

This is totally within NCL's powers. (Sometimes there just isn't any good "fix" - in which case the $$ amount should be far higher.)

We hope you HAVE A WONDERFUL CRUISE and ENJOY HAWAII!

GeezerCouple

Just got off the phone with NCL corporate guest relations (305-436-4000) The person I spoke with and explained the situation to put me on hold to speak with the precruise guest relations supervisor. After a bit of a wait, the rep came back and told me the following:

 

 

• The executive office is aware of our situation and has acknowledged it is a problem.
  
• The executive office is in the process of deciding what "resolution" would be offered to those of us who were told we were getting 2 bedroom suites but are not.
  
• NCL will call us to let us know.
  
• The rep did not know when the calls would start, but that these are different from the "informational" calls that already have been made to some people.
  

I told her that at this point, I didn't have a lot of faith and trust in NCL and I would be calling back every week at least until I heard from NCL. I referenced the thread here on CruiseCritic and told them they have a very serious problem they need to take care of quickly.

 

 

I really encourage anyone else in this situation to also call NCL corporate, to help keep them moving forward with a solution.

Okay.

NCL "made a mistake" (and KEPT making it, and then failed to correct it in a timely fashion).

However, mistakes DO get made. By ALL of us.

What matters? HOW THE MISTAKE IS DEALT WITH.

One of our very favorite billboards contained the following saying, one too often ignored by those who have (or should have) "Customer Service" staffing:

There is only one thing Customers remember better than Good Service.

Bad Service.

So true.........

C'mon, NCL. DO THE RIGHT THING FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS.

(Again, we, thank goodness, are NOT affected by this. But for those who are, it is unimaginable how you've treated them!)

Geezer Couple

Well, progress may be glacially slow, but it is now SEPTEMBER 24th, 2013, many months after the dry dock (and probably more than a year from approval of construction plan approval), and - importantly - more than two weeks after paying customers actually sailed in these new suites (and who knows how many have reserved AND PAID for future cruises - and perhaps incurred other related expenses such as airfare, etc.):

Finally, the online description of the Deluxe Owners Suite bears some semblance to reality:

"Living room with double sofa bed, baby grand piano, CD/DVD library, two TVs, dining room, private balcony with hot tub and dining area, separate bedroom with king-size bed and walk-in-closet, luxury bath with whirlpool tub and separate shower and guest bathroom. Butler service and concierge available."

Finally, no mention of the phantom second bedroom.

(I'm not sure the still-listed single "separate bedroom" would qualify under any realistic understanding of "SEPARATE bedroom", because the floor plan doesn't show any type of divider whatsoever from the living/dining room areas, but certainly the floor plan could still be incorrect. Bed appears to be a couple of feet from the DR table. At least the bathroom does seem to have a proper wall/door type divider :eek: And having trouble finding that "walk in closet" - the guest bathroom, perhaps?)

IT TOOK LONG ENOUGH.

GeezerCouple

As much as I hate to say this, I am a lawyer-- and while I'm not offering anyone legal advice, I will say NCL ought to take this seriously. It's a real problem when you sell someone one thing and then give them something else. Surely NCL doesn't want it's highest paying customers feeling deceived.

 

Come on, NCL. You made a mistake. You can still fix this by simply acknowledging that it happened and doing something -- anything-- for those impacted. You'll make money in the long run if you do because we'll be more inclined to sail with you again. If not... At best, you're losing some of your best paying customers, people who have proven they will pay top dollar for cruises.

Let us start by saying that this will be our first trip to Hawaii, and we are determined to enjoy it. (Is there such a thing as "compulsory fun"? ;-)

We know that the staff of POA are not responsible for this snafu.

However...

Here is the REAL problem, currently:

It is not a case of NCL "made a mistake". They CONTINUE to make the SAME "mistake".

As of today, September 21st, 2013, the online description of the POA Deluxe Owner's Suite STILL reads as follows:

"Living room, dining room, private balcony with hot tub and dining area, two separate bedrooms one a with king-size bed and walk-in-closet and one with two lower beds, baby grand piano, CD/DVD library, two TVs, luxury bath with whirlpool tub and separate shower and guest bathroom. Butler service and concierge available." (emphasis added)

There is simply no excuse for this whatsoever at this exceedingly late date. None.

They are inviting untold others to reserve that cabin under false advertising. That IS what it is, and it doesn't take an attorney to know that. But maybe, just maybe, if NCL now knows that they've got an attorney caught in this "error", they could MAYBE, finally, belatedly, fix the CURRENT public advertising?

And perhaps they could finally share this photo with their reps, who could then stop telling travel agentS that there is NOT any public area below, that it is simply a "roof" that is below/beyond the Deck 13 starboard and port suite balconies, and there would be NO "noise or privacy" issues at all.

The more we look at that photo of the exterior of Deck 13, the more we realize how enraged we would have been to show up, expecting NO public area below, nothing other than a "roof" of the deck below.

[Midnight Blue: We might have given you a good run for the money in the "anger" department, if the ship was about to sail as we found out. Not good.]

And since POA apparently doesn't tend to sail with lots of empty cabins, there probably wouldn't be anything else suitable.

Our cruise is to focus on HAWAII.

But while on the ship, we planned for some serious relaxation, and probably some serious time sitting on the balcony staring off at... water... islands... stars...

Not hearing and watching lots of others on an active/noisy deck immediately below.

And certainly not to be conscious of others above watching us!

(Yes, we studied the Deck Plans, to be sure that we avoided a situation like that - or so we thought. We were recently at a hotel with tiered balconies. Fortunately, there was no one above us, but we felt very awkward indeed whenever there were other Guests outside on the balcony below us, in plain sight. We usually just quietly backed away and went inside. No need to spoil their sense of solitude or privacy. But we lost some of ours.)

GeezerCouple

I think my family would disagree with you... :o And by the way -- thank you for the support.

 

And here's another thing -- apparently, Cactus Flower527 has been told there are 2 bedroom suites she could upgrade to as of this morning. When we asked two days ago about the possibility of moving to a different room, we were told the ship is entirely full and there was nothing available. Now I suppose there could have been cancellations, but we're beyond final payment for many (most?) people, so somehow I suspect that again, we were given incorrect information -- just to get us off the phone.

We both really feel for you.

For one thing (this is not the most important, obviously), the enjoyment should be starting at the planning stage, and continue to and through the cruise!

It is possible that the people you spoke with were not just brushing you off, although that certainly IS possible, too.

Given our *repeated* interactions, about two separate issues (on two entirely separate occasions), it seems all too likely that too many of the NCL reps simply have no clue.

We repeatedly got what now seems to be completely incorrect information about what category a particular cabin was, and we were repeatedly given what now seems to be completely incorrect information about what is "beyond and below" the starboard and port suite balconies on Deck 13.

Unfortunately, the NCL reps apparently also have no clue that they have no clue, and seem more than eager to make assurances without checking further. THAT is *part* of the problem.

Even when the published Website directly contradicts what they are saying.

But the MAIN problem seems to be that NCL planned these renovations (this was NOT just "refurbishing", as in updating carpets, furniture, fixtures!) but never bothered to share the actual plans with their own staff - or on their public Website. This is despite the fact that they had many months to do so (and probably many, many months).

There is simply NO EXCUSE for this.

There weren't any "surprises" here, or there should not have been!

NCL could have - and should have - distributed the correct descriptions and floor plans (even if not fancy ones) as soon as they knew the plans, and used ACCURATE descriptions and diagrams in the selling of their products.

It IS that simple!

GeezerCouple

NCL's floor plans are up to date however the rep isn;t. But here are some pics from a paid website that I was able to get . You'll see the penthouse balconies on deck 13 overlooking pool, the pool is on deck 11 so you'll have 1 deck of cabins under you but not in the penthouses , in the pic it looks like Key West Bar, so your actually looking down 2 decks to the pool.

 

I personally would not select these penthouse at the back due to noise and if in fact the bar is still there right under you'll it could be annoying.

I dont know what your needs are but having done this cruise three times and all b2b we stayed in Aft balcony deck 9 or 10 but also look at the corner family suits that have been re categorized to P/H the you'' have huge wrap around balconies.

The aft of ship is really where you want to be because if there is lava flowing on starboard side you'll be able to see it and Napali is on portside so you'll be able to see it to.I have some pics of 9698 and 10678.

Thank you very much for those photos.

I'm going to send one to our Travel Agent.

We *almost* booked a Penthouse Suite on Deck 13.

We thought it would be nice to have one of the brand new suites.

I KEPT asking, "What is that white area surrounding the staterooms on Deck 13 on the online Deck Plans?"

We were concerned that we would be looking over some public deck areas, or perhaps "just" the roof of another Deck, and not a clear view of the water. It wasn't even clear how high that "white area" would be.

NCL *repeatedly* insisted that there was "nothing there", that the port & starboard balcony views were just like any others - of the water.

All we had to do was compare the scale, and it was obvious that there was "something" there.

We were finally told that yes, it was a "roof", and not a public area.

There would be NO noise whatsoever. NOT a public area. NO view of a public area, either, just a solid roof.

We didn't trust that.

After seeing that photo, we are SO glad we did NOT book a starboard or port Penthouse Suite on Deck 13 (and not an Aft suite there, either).

NCL *KNEW* what they had planned for construction ages ago.

This isn't any "surprise" to them.

WHY was NCL not prepared with correct descriptions, Deck Plans, and Floor Plans - a LONG time ago?

(They even had two versions of the Deck Plans, for "before and after" September 7th, 2013. But the "after September 7th, 2013" descriptons were NOT correct - not at all. And they STILL aren't.)

Midnight Blue seems a lot more calm than we would have been in their place, especially if two *separate* bedrooms were essential.

ALSO: Elsewhere, we mentioned the attempted upsell, where NCL seriously misrepresented "what we'd be getting". (We had the TA call back and ask, several times.)

We just didn't trust it...

Good thing, too.

GeezerCouple

The CURRENT description (it is September 20th, 2013) of the DOS, posted right next to the expandable Floor Plan above, on the POS Deck 12 Plan is:

"Living room, dining room, private balcony with hot tub and dining area, two separate bedrooms one a with king-size bed and walk-in-closet and one with two lower beds, baby grand piano, CD/DVD library, two TVs, luxury bath with whirlpool tub and separate shower and guest bathroom. Butler service and concierge available."

Living room, Dining room, and TWO SEPARATE BEDROOMS...

No wonder Midnight Blue is upset.

How many others are going to be equally upset because of the misrepresentation that continues on the public website?

NCL have had more than enough time to provide an ACCURATE description of this very expensive suite for *ALL* future travelers.

Note: We are not involved in this particular snafu, so we have no axe to grind here.

It was bad enough when other suites were described incorrectly, repeatedly, including to a travel agent. NCL have simply totally removed the "floor plan" for that suite! Not very helpful.

(We were told repeatedly that what became a Deluxe Penthouse Suite was "really" an Owner's Suite, and thus the price was a terrific bargain, because it was still pricing at the lower category. Except... it never was, and isn't, an Owner's Suite. It's a Deluxe Penthouse Suite. Or so it seems. Hard to know what is happening. We REALLY wanted a 'new' suite, and had MANY available to choose from when we made our reservation, but we just don't trust what is described to us by NCL by phone OR on the Deck Plan - especially on Deck 13.)

We suspect there are several different configurations, especially on Deck 13. (The outlines of the Suites are very different.)

Why not post the Floor Plan on the other decks if it hasn't changed?

And why not post correct Floor Plans, more than one if necessary, for Deck 13?

Presumably NCL knew the layout when the construction was arranged, and that was many, many weeks/months ago.

It doesn't need to be this difficult for NCL's paying customers.

And it shouldn't be!

GeezerCouple

Earlier this month, when we were first trying to make a decision about which suite, the Deck Plans/Suite descriptions/Floor Plans kept changing before our eyes every time we refreshed the screen or logged back on.

But NCL hasn't fixed all of that yet.

Go to the POA Deck 12 Deck Plans, and expand the Deluxe Owners Suite category.

The description starts with:

"Living room, dining room, private balcony with hot tub and dining area, two separate bedrooms one a with king-size bed and walk-in-closet and one with two lower beds,..." (underlining added)

But then click on the Floor Plan, and... what you'll see is ONE large bed, no second set of beds, other than perhaps a sofa in the LR, which isn't really a "second bedroom" because the description says a Living Room AND two separate bedrooms.

There also does not seem to be any "real" separation between the bedroom "area" and the Living Room, but that could be an overlooked detail (but I think that not very likely).

It is OBVIOUS that the WRITTEN DESCRIPTION - that there are 2 separate bedrooms - is simply INCORRECT.

Today. Right now.

Or the Floor Plan is simply incorrect.

Did you pay by charge card?

You should have some recourse, depending upon what you want to do.

If you still want to take this cruise, and need two separate/private bedrooms, this DOS isn't going to fit.

Unfortunately, IF the Deck Plan is accurate (that doesn't seem exactly likely), then there isn't even a connecting cabin for them to offer you.

We had a chance to get a significant upgrade on Deck 13 for a *lower* cost at one point back then, but what we were told the category was simply was not what was showing at the time. We were told it would be "fixed and labeled correctly". (It never was, not as of today.)

We chose to stick with a different Deck, one where the walls probably wouldn't be "moving".

Surprisingly, your Suite is on Deck 12, and that wasn't the one that was just completely rebuilt, or so it seemed.

GeezerCouple

This is amazing.

My first cruise was on the Flavia, as was the second.

My parents, quite out of character, took us on these 2 Bahamas cruises, both sometime in the mid--late '70's.

But we were under the band, and that went wellllllllllll into the late night. Learned then and there ALWAYS to check what was on the deck above and below our selected cabin!

The second time, we had 3 cabins, all off a little side alcove, with 2 porthole cabins and one inside.

That ship had neat little side-alcove hallways, so one could create a sort of "suite" of cabins, undisturbed by others in the main hallway.

Everything was magical, except that one of the children got *very* seasick the second time. It wasn't pretty, and "it wasn't pretty... all over the ship", alas.

She was absolutely miserable. That was the end of cruising for quite a while.

My second main memory was the delight of having as many entrees and desserts as I wanted. (I was rail-thin then, and would give just about anything for that again, even though I was teased mercilessly for being so skinny.)

However, my primary memory was of the CLARITY of the water in Nassau. We could see all the way down, to the ground surface far below the water surface. I had never realized that seawater wasn't *always* dark and murky.

So the FIRST thing we did was to get on a glass-bottom boat, to get to Paradise Island to spend the day at a beautiful warm beach :-)

We were all from different parts of the northern USA, and it was winter.

Now we are starting some serious and, hopefully, frequent retirement travel, and will be heading to Hawaii first, with Alaska not far behind.

Then we'll figure out "where next".

Even though it was a very short trip, I never forgot the convenience of "having the hotel follow you around at night"!

And that convenience was appreciated even more during longer cruises with more destinations, of course.

I was hooked immediately.

GeezerCouple

You're right, not all the suites are the same size, but having to deal with what was there previously, I understand why.

 

The two largest suites on deck 13 are Owner's Suites. They have separate bedroom. The bathrooms are the same as the Penthouses that I described earlier.

 

From what I can see, the "white area" you are talking about would be part of the pool deck.

 

Unfortunately, we did not get to see any of the "views" since they were still working on the balconies.

 

If you go to the NCL website and go to the Ships, then Deck Plans, Deck 13, and click on Owner's Suite, then Photos and Highlights, and then scroll - you can see a snapshot of the new rooms.

 

I wouldn't worry about the Suites on Deck 10. It will be larger, but a bit darker. But hey, you won't be in your room much!

Thanks very much!

So that "white area" on the Deck Plan is the ROOF of Deck 12 after all?

Does that mean that if you look over the balcony, you'd see the roof, and not the water (as from other balconies)?

Sorry - I left out the term "Penthouse Suite" from the previous post.

The Deluxe Penthouse Suites, Owners Suite, and Deluxe Owners Suite are all supposed to be larger than the Penthouse Suite.

But because of the renovations, the Penthouse Suites are now described in size as being

between "494 - 666 sq. ft."

That's a big range. Unfortunately, the sizes do not seem to correspond exactly to Penthouse Suite sub-category or price.

And the sizes of the "Penthouse Suites" on Deck 13 seem to vary the most.

(And then there are the 4 that overlook the pool and bar area, which isn't the same as seeing the water or the islands in the distance...)

There are two regular "Penthouse Suites" on Deck 13 that apparently are much larger than any other regular "Penthouse Suites" on the ship, for example.

It would be great to hear from anyone who arrives back in Honolulu tomorrow and had a chance to see what some of these Deck 13 port and starboard regular Penthouse Suites are really like.

Thanks!

GeezerCouple

We were on the POA last week, and got a preview of the suites. They seem to be much brighter than the other suites, lots of beige and brown. We had a penthouse suite on deck 10, and the new penthouse suites were much smaller. They also slept 6 instead of 4 - 1 king bed, 1 Murphy bed, and a fold-out couch. There was also a table and 2 chairs. For 6 people, it would be very crowded! We decided we wouldn't pick this room for the 3 of us.

 

The bathrooms were nice, with double sinks, shower, and tub, but the dressing room with the vanity was eliminated. Closet space was much smaller. We visited the rooms over the pool deck, and to my surprise, I could not hear the band playing below when the balcony doors were closed.

 

We also saw the 4 single rooms. Ugh! Everything was white -walls, bed linen, counters... it reminded me of the 70's space movies.

Thanks very much.

Did you happen to see the other Suites on Deck 13?

Apparently they aren't all the same size. (Our TA got the room & balcony dimensions for us, but no photos, although NCL said they would send some.)

There are two that are larger than any others (on any Deck), and some that are smaller than most.

According to the dimensions we were given, even the 4 that overlook the pool area below are not all the same size. Seemed to be 2 different sizes there.

For now, we've chosen a Suite on Deck 10, although having everything new sounded appealing.

Did you see the "view" from any of the port or starboard facing Suites?

Do you see the roof of the deck below? (On the Deck Plans, there is that "white area" surrounding the suites on Deck 13, and no one at NCL could, or would, give us a direct answer about what that represented.)

Thanks again!

GeezerCouple