debenson0723

What surprise would that be? The gratuities for the drink package and specialty dining are paid at the same time as the cruise...part of the final payment. Everything is listed by line item on your confirmation...taxes, port fees and the drink package/specialty dining grats.

You don't have to take the drink package. It can, along with the specialty dining fee, be removed from your reservation. If you only have one drink a day, then paying as you go would work best for you. If you drink more than 2 drinks (beer, wine, soda, cocktails), then the drink package is more economical (it's roughly $22 a day). As somenone else mentioned, your TA did not do a good job with informing you of the T&Cs for your cruise.

You should be fine doing this. We have ordered apps for both, a pizza to share, a pasta each and dessert. Oh and the bread is to die for! Never left there hungry.

Supposedly at 21 days out (same as check-in) but I have never tried.

And you got someone's point of view. Prices are high but deals can be found if you look around. I don't find other lines any cheaper these days and most ships are sailing full. But I don't sail in the Haven...would rather do a couple of cruises per year than pay Haven prices. That's just my opinion and preference. YMMV.

What ship are you looking at and when are you going? I have gotten a day pass on almost every ship I have been on, only on port days, and the price has ranged from $59 to $89. Sometimes they will put an insert in your daily or like mentioned above, just go to the spa and ask. I love nothing more than being the only person in the spa while everyone else is off the ship.

This was originally on the Prima but they have also now gone to rotating menus.

I have the Libby app on my tablet and download all my books from my local library before leaving. I don't believe this was available when I cruised on the Prima last year but then didn't have a need for it.

If you have the drink package, no slip is presented. I always bring cash so I can tip the bartender and others (this is in addition to the DSC).

I have always asked for extra hangers after boarding and gotten plenty. There must be something in my 'file' because on my past two cruises, I had lots of hangers already in my closet...no need to ask.

With the Verizon international plan, it is $10 a day for the exact same unlimited coverage you have at home. On days you don't use it, there is no charge (so if I am on the ship with a sea day, I leave in airplane mode and use wi-fi). Another nice feature is every month that you don't use it, you 'bank' that month. I had not been out of the country, except for Mexico and Canada (which are free) for 9 months so I had 9 free days of international usage. I was recently in Dubai for 9 days and didn't pay a dime more than my usual bill. That was unexpected (and my phone was on 24/7).

Did anyone else notice around the 4:10 mark it sounds like he says this is the NCL Bella and then someone corrects him and says Viva? He then says Bella is ship #3. Interesting. And Namu Sushi will forever be known as Mama Sushi to me.

Just so you aren't disappointed, it's not always that easy to see the Northern Lights. We were in Iceland overnight on the Prima back in September and had what sounds like the same tour booked. Were to leave at 9pm and come back at 2am. Luckily for us, our tour contacted us at about 6pm and told us there was no way we would see them that night and they cancelled with a full refund. There were others on our ship with the same tour, different company, and they did not cancel. Of course they spent that time just driving around in the cold and saw nothing. It's really a hit or miss. I do highly recommend a tour to the Southern Coast of Iceland. We were gone 10 hours but it was worth every minute. Check the Iceland port of call board on this forum for more recommendations.

Yes, Onda is included, as are all of the restaurants. No exclusions.

The buffet is on the same deck as the pool so you can always go in there to grab something, I wouldn't take it directly to the pool area but there are plenty of outdoor tables and chairs near by. And Margaritaville has been gone for years.

We did that sometimes too. I will order the deviled eggs, spicy peach margarita and banana pudding, paying out of pocket (or using OBC). So happy that Q is now complimentary at the Indulge Food Hall but I do miss that banana pudding!

If you look at any ship deck plan, most of the Oceanviews are always on the lower decks, except for the larger ships that have the forward facing oceanview cabins. If I am going to bid on an Oceanview, I always check to see what is left in that catagory before bidding. One time there was this lone deck 5 oceanview cabin and I did not bid for weeks until I saw it was gone and only the forward facing ones were left. Still took a chance but it paid off and I got one of those (which I loved and booked on my next cruise). If there are lots of O/Vs left on a sailing, I will skip those and just bid on a balcony or stay where I am. It's a game to me and I am just happy to be on the ship!

Wonderful review and beautiful photos. Glad you had a great time with your group. Thanks for posting.

I am probably not the right person to elaborate on Spice H2O...I am not a sun person and don't go out there much or use the pools. I divide my time between the Waterfront, the Observation Lounge and the Thermal Spa, all of which are excellent on both ships. I would suggest watching a couple of full ship tour videos on You Tube to get an idea of what each ship looks like. The chandelier on the Bliss is much more attractive than the one on the Encore too. IYKYK.

They are really identical except that the Encore does not have Spice H20 and Bliss does not have Onda (the specialty restaurant). I have sailed Encore twice and Bliss 3 times (and both to Alaska). I give the slight edge to the Bliss...can't really explain why but you can't go wrong with either one. I have been on the Jade also and it's an entirely different ship experience....much smaller and without all the bells and whistles. I loved it too but it was a port intensive Greek cruise so we didn't spend much time on the ship.

It's not just NCL...it's all cruiselines, hotels and flights. I am looking at a flight in October that I thought was just a bit too high. Then 2 weeks ago, it dropped almost $100 round trip and I was going to book it but life got in the way. Now it's up $50 and today went up another $10. I am still hoping for another price drop as there are plenty of seats available but if there isn't, then that's on me. I monitor everything and when I see a price I like, I book it and don't look back.

As mentioned above, the is no 'real' Starbucks on the Jade as there are on other NCL ships. They do have the Atrium Cafe, which serves Starbucks products, but you cannot use a Starbucks gift card (or app) there. Enjoy your cruise!

Have you checked your credit card to see if you have a pending credit from NCL? I have had credits pending (not with NCL but others) for over a week before they hard post to my account. You would be better off calling your credit card company next week to see the transaction status, or just check your credit card online.

On the Joy in February, both of them were actually open at 11:30am.

Like @graphicguystated, smoking cigarettes is on the decline. I work in a large office with over 100 people and only one person smokes (a woman in her 60s). I was in Vegas last weekend and when checking into the Wynn, we were told that if cigarette smoke is smelled in the room, the cleaning fee would be an additional $250. If cannabis was smelled, the cleaning fee would be $1000. And a waiver was signed to that effect. I loved eating and gambling in the Park-MGM...totally smoke free hotel and casino. I was never much of a gambler on the ships, but since Bliss, Encore, Joy and Prima all have the enclosed smoking rooms, I spend much more time in the casino (as do many others I know). If you time it just right, you can smell smoke when the door opens but it doesn't permeate the whole deck and down to the deck below, as it does on the Getaway.