debenson0723

I have never had to fight the crowds at Food Republic on any ship or any time, lunch or dinner. Its one of NCLs best kept secrets.

There is a bar in the Observation Lounge (for the general public) as well as entertainment in the evenings. People are confusing the Haven Horizons OL with the one open to everyone.

Typically the check in is still at the same time as a 5pm departure. Have you done your 21 day checkin and what time did you pick? That should be an indication, The nice thing about getting on an empty ship is that rooms will be ready as soon as you board.

You can order room service in the Studios but I wouldn't get too much due to the space limitations. I usually run up to the buffet to grab a few small items to eat while getting ready. The plates sit on the desk under the tv and its not difficult to eat. Dont recall ever having a small table in a studio cabin, especially a high one. Enjoy your cruise!

Thank you so much. I am clipping this to my travel notes. I really appreciate it.

That's the way I am leaning also but it means more work for me (the planner of the group) finding train schedules, tours and places to stay. One of the things I love about cruising is unpacking once and waking up in a new place every day. Going to add Lauterbrunnen Valley to my 'must-see places' list. Thanks for the suggestion.

OK, I thougnt it was me. I was in the Cavern Club on the Joy in February and had a seat near the front. There was no dance floor in front of me and I had no problem seeing the stage (and I am short). Those that stood were mainly in the back and on the sides.

We are looking at that 4 day from Barcelona to Rome. I like that it has an overnight in Florence (Livorno)...would skip coming back to the ship that night and get a hotel instead. Now we are just trying to decide if we want to continue onto Trieste via ship or take our time visiting more of Italy via train and ending up in Switzerland. I need to get thru the 2 trips I have left this year and then I will start thinking about next year.

Or enough solos. With remote work and extended PTO, I have been traveling with 2-6 solo people on extended cruises. We meet up in a city (say Berlin or Athens) do a few days there, a 10 day cruise and then another few days post cruise in another city. None of us share a cabin either and don't mind paying the solo supplement (more revenue for the cruise line). All of us are in the 40-60 year age range and work full time. Just another demographic that the travel industry is starting to cater to more.

This is exactly how I feel. When I travel to Europe or Asia, I need to make the most of my time, since the travel time is so long. I have started to do somewhere around 15-20 days total so I can spend a few days in a city acclimating to the time difference prior to the cruise (and sometimes more than one city since it's so easy to fly between countries) and then 5-7 days after a cruise to see more. One of my coworkers just did their first family European cruise on the Epic and while they saw a lot in the 7 days, she said they felt so rushed and didn't get to appreciate what they were seeing. The next time they would definitely add on more time before, after or take a longer cruise with a few sea days. I know not everyone has that ability but, as a stockholder, I think it could be the way of the future.

You are going to get as many answers as people on this board since food is so subjective. At Le Bistro, I personally usually get the Marquise au Chocolat, which I really enjoy. My travel companion would disagree and he gets the Fraisier. So really the best is what is right for you on that day at that time. Enjoy your cruise!

Not everyone gets them. Certain TAs and other cruise vendors do not participate (think Big Box store). I have been lucky and won my bid a few times (by bidding the minimum) but it really depends on how well the ship is selling, especially in certain catagories. I typically am happy with the cabin I have chosen so if I win, I win and if I don't, no big deal.

Last I heard he was going to be on the Viva.

The Prima has a dedicated Haven elevator in the aft of the ship, starting on deck 6 or 7 (can't remember which). It's nice but you sometimes have to wait quite a while if there are lots of people coming up or down at the same time.

If you used a TA, they should have told you this. If you booked yourself, you would have seen the boxes you could uncheck to remove the FAS drinks and dining (one or both). If you aren't within 3 days of your cruise, you can still remove the packages and add what you want. I have a friend who does not drink alcohol or coffee and he gets the FAS drink package...he drinks a lot of soda and enjoys mocktails so the $22 a day is a good value for him and he doesn't get a bill at the end of the cruise.

The Bliss and Encore both have the Waterfront area on deck 8, which has no obstructions because the lifeboats are tucked underneath on deck 7. There are nice couches and chairs in this area, which is where I usually go if I have an Inside cabin on either of those ships and it's not too cold. In addition, both ships have an Observation Lounge in the front of the ship, which is an enclosed area with large windows, a bar, food, couches, chairs, etc. It is a great area to view the Alaskan scenery when it's too cold to be outside. If money is tight, I would book an inside on either of those ships for Alaska (and have done just that).

@bluesea777thank you for the link.

You can ask for a one or two day deviation and fly in early. Book your own hotel and transfers or use the cruise lines. I just priced out a one way trip to London for next year and it was $714 and with NCL it is $467. I just had friends who flew from New Orleans to Rome (and back) for half the price of what it would have cost them had they done it themselves, with a 2 day deviation on both ends. People who do their research beforehand and know the facts tend to have better outcomes than those who don't. YMMV.

You are tracked on every cruise line you are on. Every time you tap, swipe or go into your cabin with your card, it is notated. There is even a channel on your stateroom TV (I think it is called Activity) that you can check and see where you were every day on the ship. May not be as extensive as the Princess Medallian but it is there.

I don't know about the size but I just take one with the camera on my laptop, save it to my desktop and have used the same photo for every cruise. Sometimes I have had it retaken at the port and sometimes I have not...guess it just depends on the person. As long as it looks similar to a passport photo, you should be fine.

Where did you request the distilled water for the CPap from? NCL does provide it so whomever told you that was wrong. I would call today to have it delivered to your room. And you can bring prepackaged, sealed snacks on board...though with the amount of food on a ship, I never understood why someone would do that.

Does your check in show 100% complete? If not, you might have missed something. Clear your cache and try again.

On my 2nd NCL cruise, the Captain came and sat at our table at Teppanyaki, along with a friend of his and another officer. I didn't want to ask to take a picture with him during his meal but got a couple of covert shots. He let me have the extra vegetables too! That is about as close as I will ever come to Dinner with the Captain.

If you have more than one person, it is more cost effective to just take an Uber from the airport hotel to the port. Less shlepping around your luggage too.

Welcome to Cruise Critic. You can find lots of transportation options on the Ports of Call forum on this board. As mentioned above, I would come in at least a day early primarily to avoid any stress from a possible flight delay. Enjoy your cruise!