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AKR2011

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Posts posted by AKR2011

  1. I have the card myself and have never had an issue. I also bring my birth certificate just in case, but the card is sufficient on the boat and in port. It's half the price and fits into my wallet. Honestly, I don't stress about having a book. I know I'm taking a small risk,but until I'm ready to fly internationally or cruise to South America, I feel good with the card.

  2. As already stated, NCL does have "Dress Up or Not" nights. Also, it's a little dressier in some of the restaurants like Cagney's and Le Bistro, although you don't have to dress up. The DH ad I also did a dinner with the officers on our last crew, and everyone was dressed up. No extra charge for that one, and we really enjoyed it. Honestly, you'll fit in no matter what you wear, but we do like to pick out a couple nights to dress up and get nice pictures.

  3. thanks for replies, perhaps I should have said oct 2016 not oct 16 :) so I presumed (wrongly ? ) that the blue lagoon would be O'sheehans by then

     

    Yes, Dawn is scheduled to drydock at the beginning of October 2016. I will be on her at the end of that October myself and am looking forward to a pretty ship! Hopefully O'Sheehan's will be included in that, although I don't know for sure what they will be changing. The Sun has a nice Sports Bar instead of Blue Lagoon. For all we know, with Mr. Sheehan no longer with NCL, they could put that in instead. We will have to wait and see.

  4. Although I personally have no problem with this, I have never noticed it before. Is it advertised that Suite and Haven guests get reserved seats? I'm glad that many have pointed out that the seats are not fantastic anyway. I just don't know if it's a perk that everyone is aware of. Personally, I have no problem showing up early to get a good seat to a show. However, if I paid all that extra money, it would be nice to know that I could come in late and still find a seat.

  5. Like most people have said, NCL desserts aren't overly fabulous. Carlo's Bakery desserts are expensive, but good for a treat. I did enjoy a canole I once got in a Murder Mystery Lunch. Additionally, whenever they have Pistachio Cake, I always grab a slice. It's something I never find anywhere, and I think it's pretty yummy.

  6. I loved Ikim and Sylvia in The Sun. My all-time favorite was on The Jewel in 2011. I don remember his name, but he told riddles. I sat with him for hours trying to solve them - so long that my husband was running around the ship worried because I was missing! Such an entertainer. I bought a ridiculous amount of margaritas thanks to his puzzles. I wish I knew his name and where he is now. I would love to see him again.

  7. I was on The Sun for a 10-day last April, and it still looked beautiful. There was a post a couple weeks ago where some were concerned about her condition, but then others posted that all was well. She was my favorite ship by far. Beautiful in every way. Food was good, and for food, I really enjoyed the free tapas on the top deck. I would go late afternoon and have a few. They featured a different drink every day that was three for $15, so my husband and I would do that, go to the show, and do a late dinner. All the entertainment was great, as was the food.

  8. NOLA is one of the three NCL ports that don't allow you to check soda or water. It is an issue with the longshoreman, not NCL. You can carry as much as you like with your carry on.

    Not all bars or bartenders will give you a can of soda. At some/most bars it is fountain only. Some drinks, ginger ale for one, sometimes only come in two litre bottles. Find a bar that has cans and will give them to you and then frequent that bar.

     

    I've read that in NOLA there is a place where you can store your soda after you board the ship and until your room is ready. Hope this helps! As far as I know there is no limit, and you can definitely restock when you port as well.

  9. The dress up nights are always called "Dress Up or Not" nights. Keep that in mind. You never have to dress up, although one MDR usually requires pants or a skirt while the other does not each night. As already stated, sometimes you have to dress up at Specialty Restaurants too.

  10. You can see if someone on here recently sailed and can post them, or search for a posting with them. However, they not really available for download anywhere, and they do change.

  11. It's Freestyle all the way with NCL, so anytime seating is available on both ships. However, The Sky is an older ship with less capacity, so it would probably be easier to get seating on that verses The Escape. The Escape will have all the bells and whistles since it's brand new, but The Sky will probably be cheaper. I don't do short cruises, but for just three days, I would personally pick The Sky. Less people and still a great experience. You wouldn't have the time to explore all of The Escape with a three day itinerary anyway.

  12. I ALWAYS get Le Bistro when my husband and I cruise. However, note that sometimes there are meals that cost more than the cover charge. An example is Fruits de Mer, my absolute favorite dish on NCL. You get it at Le Bistro but have to pay an extra $10 surcharge. However, I personally find it well worth it. Yummy seafood (including lobster) in a cream sauce and puff pastry. To. Die. For. There may be food with an extra charge like this at some of the other specialties as well.

  13. I think normally, the deposit is a percentage of your cruise fare. However, if you buy a Cruise Rewards, that $250 covers you entire deposit no matter what. NCL told me that the Repo Cruise I just booked normally had an $800 deposit, where as my Rewards were all I needed. I owe nothing until 90 days before I set sail in 2016.

  14. You do have to be out of American waters to avoid tax. I hadn't noticed that until my last cruise. I looked at my receipts and saw that when I bought the soda package and a couple drinks prior to the boat leaving, there was tax on both. However, all my beverages after that just had gratuity, no tax. However, as it has been posted already, if you want to Ultimate Beverage Package, it's $5 less per day if you book it before your cruise verses on the ship. The soda package is the same, and I think Corks and Caps is the same too.

  15. So now to the story regarding the penny machine. On the first day, Courtney slid her room card in it to get the smashed penny. It didn't work. We did some adjusting to the penny we wanted with the handle and tried again. Still nothing came out.

     

    The following day we ended up going to customer service about something and then we mentioned the penny machine. They looked up the charges and verified that it had come off her card and called the maintenance guy. He came over and took us upstairs to the machine at Dazzles. He verified that it didn't work, grabbed some tools and tried to open it. It didn't work. He was able to see that it was out of pennies and that was the problem. He then grabbed a chair and proceeded to climb up to the top of it and reach down to grab pennies. He gave us different kinds and let us chose several of them. How nice. He gave us all 2 each. I thought that was nice and not called for, but that's just NCL service for you.

     

    I put it with my Sun penny from the previous week and they will go in my scrapbook for the cruise.

     

     

     

    I'm loving your review! On each one of our NCL sailings, I struggle with the Penny Press Machine. I always get one by the end, but it always takes multiple crew members to make it happen. I know it's an odd complaint, but for me, it's what I remember. I take a deep breath now when I try for the first time.

  16. I was on The Sun in April, and the shows we all good. We had three performances from the cruiseline's entertainment team, a ventriloquist, comedian, hypnotist, aerial show, and a really fabulous Beatles tribute band. There was also a good Beach Boys tribute band during the day. The best part was by far the staff. Richard Magic has been the CD for a long time, and he and his staff go out of their way to make a magical experience. I still remember my favorite event was a sing-along in the atrium, and during the grand finale, we were singing at the top of our lungs while balloons fell down from the top deck. Such a fun event. I can't say enough great things about that crew. I would go back in a heartbeat just for them!

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