Bellyflopchamp

Will she be 3.5 at the time of your sailing in October next year or is she currently 3.5, which would make her almost 5 next October? That could also make a huge difference. We had a similar issue with our daughter when she was a little over 1.5 years old on the Allure. She did not sleep at all in the pack and play so we moved her to ours bed the first two nights then my mom's bed after that as we had 2 connecting cabins booked and that worked well.

We are going again on a NCL ship in November and she will be a little over 3.5 years old. I can report back to you after that with any tips we found. I am hoping that with the additional activities that she is going to be able to do this time that sleeping will be much easier. Since you have time you could always test out how she sleeps at other places by visiting and sleeping over with friends and relatives for a night, or even a hotel if that is within your budget.

The resort for a day website states that they will not accept cash only credit cards. I would venture to guess that would be the same regardless of how you booked.

I thought that with the Haven the butler would press clothes for you. I do not think that they will deliver and iron or steamer to your stateroom as it still poses a fire hazard.

I've been dying to know the story about how you got such special treatment on the cruise. Was there a mix up or what?

I think it was because he organized the meet and greet.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

No, you're right, absolutely.

 

It's more how they try to trick you about how great a deal you're getting when they send you an email that bothers me. I know it's the business and you need to catch people's attention, but it sure irks me! It's no worse than an airline starting to charge for baggage, claiming "it's for your convenience because now if you don't check a bag you're not paying for a fare that includes one" as if their base prices are somehow going to be lower.

Sure it might seem deceptive to some extent, but you always have the option of not booking. You are entering into a voluntary contract. And honestly would the $25-$60 of OBC really make or break your cruise?

There is a certain AI resort throughout all of the Caribbean that has been running the same 60-65% off sale for at lease the last 12 years. When I first saw it I thought it would be a great deal and then I looked at the price and realized that it was still out of my price range. What did I do? I did not book it. A few months later I saw they were still running the same "sale" and then again a few months later. I now know not to even look at that as it does not change. I look at the other offers they have with it, but even that does not impact my decision. What does is the final price I end up paying. If I like it and think it is worth my money I will book.

If it bothers you that much just opt out of their emails.

After checking out our photos in the gallery,, purchasing some knick knacks and souvenirs at the gift shop, debating the merits of purchasing a $6 can on Pringles, we headed up to the buffet for some late night snack, then headed to bed. Our towel animal tonight left room for debate. Help me out, Cruise Critic. What is this? And please be right (aka agree with me).

 

I'm going to go with anteater. Loving your review!!!

One would think if one can afford a cruise then one would qualify for a credit Card. I have received over $600 in rewards for using my cc for ncl cruises, also delays payments. I only use the card for ncl cruises.

One would also think if one can afford a cruise one would not need to put it on a credit card. For some people they might be able to afford a credit card, but choose not to have one as they do not want to be in debt. There are also numerous studies that show when you use a credit card for every day expenses you tend to spend more than you would if you use debit or cash. While you may be able to afford it you are still better off not using it as it sets you up for a better future and retirement.

Don't you think that if the credit card companies were losing money on the points and "freebies" that they give they would stop doing it. It is a way to get people to use the cards more, spending more, and carry larger balances thus making them more money in the long run.

Some of us choose to be weird and not be in debt.

You can pretty much use a debit card for anything you can use a credit card for. You can even use it for car rentals at most places. You just need to make sure that the hold they put on it does not exceed your balance. I do not have any credit cards either and use a debit card for just about everything. We have even had it on file for our on board account for our RCCL cruises and everything worked out just fine.

I live in northern NJ and I can assure you that it will take WAY MORE than 10-15 minutes to get to the pier from Ridgefield Park. If you're taking the GWB, the drive from the bridge down the West SIde Highway alone will be that long without traffic -- and even on a weekend morning there is always traffic. And if you're taking the Lincoln Tunnel, again, the helix to the tolls and then the tunnel itself alone will be longer than 10-15 minutes

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I must have googled the wrong hotel when I looked for directions. It does say now that it is like 26 minutes. I am sure that is without traffic, but I will not be dealing with that traffic when driving to the pier, but of course will be going to and from the hotel. Since the cost is almost the same for staying and parking at the hotel as it is driving in the morning of and parking at the pier I will probably still choose the hotel. Makes it so that I dont need to start my vacation off waking up at like 6am and driving into the city. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure I will be up at 6am anyway but at least I'll be able to relax in bed for a while longer. IF the hotel cost over $100 more than just parking at the pier I'd probably have a different opinion.

We live in RI so it is also an easy drive in, however we decided to stay at a hotel close by. We are staying at the Hilton Garden Inn Ridgefield Park. They have a Park, Stay, and Cruise rate where they let you park your car for the duration of the cruise at the hotel and they shuttle you to and from the terminal all included in the rate. It is slightly more for that than to just park at the pier and includes the hotel stay the night before. It is only about 10-15 minutes away from the terminal as well so it will make it easy to get there early. A few people on my role call are staying there. Others have stayed as well. There is another thread about parking options in NY that was from today that talks about this as well.

So if you stay in NJ, how do you get back across after the cruise? I hear taxis that will make that trip are in short supply or cost double.

I believe there is a shuttle that brings you back as well which is included in the price of the hotel. You do need to book the special rate. It is the Park Ride and Cruise rate.

If we get the upgrade offer we will probably only put in for the Aft Penthouse one. We are currently in a B1 on deck 12. I'd love to get the Haven amenities but I do not want to give up the large aft balcony.

Thanks for the review. I agree with you. Using a porter for getting through customs is the way to go. We did it both times we sailed out of Fort Lauderdale. It is worth every penny not to have to wait in the line at customs.

We went with my daughter when she was 20 months. We went on the Allure (Royal Caribbean) and they had a nursery. We were pretty disappointed in the nursery. We decided that we will not go again until the kids are old enough to do the kids club. We are doing NCL this November as our daughter is now 3 and can do the club. The reason we don't want to do the nursery thing is because on the first night they kept her up until we picked her up at midnight. So she started the cruise with a crazy lack of sleep. Unfortunately she did not nap very well either so she was not the happiest little camper.

We booked adjoining balcony rooms for us and my mother. The balcony was great for us. She was great with the balcony as well. Originally the railing made me nervous, however the railing is pretty high. Even if she was standing on a chair it was still at her shoulders from what I recall. The balcony doors also have a child safety lock on them. They are on the top of the door. This should prevent them from being able to sneak out.

I will say that her being mobile was good. It was nice to be able to let her run around a bit. Especially in the baby splash pool. She loved that. We also brought our own pack and play (the one we have is the 4Moms brand which opens and closes in seconds). She did not end up sleeping in it at all. She slept in our bed the first 2 nights and then slept in my mom's bed the rest of the trip. We just blocked the sides off with animals and rolled up blankets and towels.

They really get you with the taxes. 100% tax rate. Trip will cost you $39,999,996.00 for 2 people. If it were $39,999,990 I might consider booking, but those extra $6 just put it slightly out of reach for us.

From what I have seen there are only 2 category types for balcony cabins that can have the loungers. The first and probably cheaper option is the "Large Balcony" cabins. These are located on deck 9 at the front of the ship (9112-9134 and 9712-9734). These are above the "Mini Suite with Large balcony" cabins which are obviously on deck 8. The other category of balcony cabins that are large enough to fit loungers are the "Aft-Facing Balcony". These are the cabins at the back of the ship between the Aft Facing Haven suites. There are about 5-6 per deck. Deck 9 has the biggest, then deck 12, then 11. I forget which one is the smallest but they should all be large enough for a lounge chair on it.

There should be Youtube videos of these cabins if you wanted to see. There are also angled balconies, but I do not believe that are large enough for lounge chairs.

We brought our video one on a RCCL ship. We had adjoining balcony rooms and it worked great. Worse case if it didn't work you would have just taken up a small amount of space in your suitcase. Bring it and see. I also like that suggestion on calling the room and leaving it open.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Why? It is not at all unusual for NCL to assign guarantee cabins as soon as you book.

I was not aware that they would give you a cabin right away. It just seems odd to me that they would give you one before final payment. What would prevent you from canceling and rebooking the same category until you get what you like? Also just a little surprised that they would toss someone in a HC cabin that did not need it so far out.

That whole process does not seem like it would be best practice, but then again what would I know. I do not run a cruise line. They probably have their reasons and that is most likely due to what a few others have said. Would rather not upgrade.

All the free perks they're offering now if I upgrade will not be available if I did the upgrade later?

If you wait to bid on an upgrade you get to keep your current perks but do not get any additional ones. If you upgrade now you will receive all of the perks offered for your sailing. I believe that the gratuities are also included in that so you wont have to pay the extra to get the "free" UBP and SDP. You would also more than likely get more On Board Credit since you are moving up to a higher class room. If you planned on spending money on the ship you could factor that into the cost as well, thus lowering the difference some more.

Is your sister willing to chip in any extra as well for the upgrade? She will end up getting to use all the amenities as well. you could just say that it is a $2000 difference and divide that by 5 people and have her chip in $400 extra on top of her room cost if she could swing it. To me it is probably worth the extra cost as well as having all 5 of you in one suite.

It seems very odd that you already got a cabin assigned to you for a cruise in December if you selected a guarantee cabin. Did you use a TA when you booked? If so I would reach out to them. They may have a better person to contact. It would seem like they should keep you in the guarantee cabin until the date gets closer in the event that they need the room for someone that actually needs it.

I hear you on this one. I would not want to take away that cabin from someone that needs it. If you do not have a TA I would call NCL up instead of email. Maybe resolutions or reservations numbers. Just tell them that you'd prefer to keep the guarantee longer in case someone needs the room.

We cruised on the Allure when my daughter was 20 months. She just used normal utensils. They had the smaller (not toddler but more desert size) forks and spoons. If you aren't cruising for a while just let them get a little used to having big kid utensils so they don't stab themselves with the slightly sharper ones.

Thank you all for your replies. Whether parents decide to sterilise their baby equipment is completely an individual choice and I choose to follow the guidelines of our health service executive. Boiled water (at least 70C ) is required to make up the formula to kill any bacteria present.

Of course baby would be over 6 months when cruising and yes breast feeding would be most convenient but it's hardly possible to just decide to start breastfeeding then :)

You can more than likely request bottled water from the special needs department before you board. I know that is not considered sterile and if you are not comfortable with that you could get just hot water from where the tea stations are setup.

The special needs department would be the place to start tho. I am sure that they are requested this frequently.

We did Nassau and St. Thomas on our last cruise. The Nassau stop was short (8-2) so we booked the Blue Lagoon dolphin encounter for my wife, my mom, and our 1.5 year old daughter. Our daughter was free. I think that it is 2 and under are free for it, but it might be 3 and under. It was a nice short trip. We are going back again this November and we will probably end up doing the Hilton resort for a day and just make it a good beach day.

St. Thomas we booked a private sail boat (Independence 44). We had it for about 4 or 5 hours and it was a lot of fun. Our daughter absolutely loved it. We did some snorkeling and they had a great float and life vest for our daughter so she was able to go in the water too. We live right by the ocean so it was not scary for her. Our daughter also took a great nap on the boat, the only one she took all cruise. I think it was due to the serenity of it. It was very peaceful and the boat was rocking ever so slightly. This was a little bit pricey but well worth the money. They were awesome. The first mate even dove down to grab a some of the sea critters for us. They also provide rum punch and some food. I would consider doing this again if we go back.

My wife and I went to Cozumel before our daughter was born. We didnt do too much around the port but took a jeep tour which would not be good for a 3.5 year old. I am not sure what is really close to the port.

One thing to be mindful of is that taxis do not have car seats. We did not really think about this until it got closer to the cruise. We ended up buying a cheap one that we didnt really care about if it got damaged on the plane. If you use a shuttle you do not technically need one, and in the Caribbean most of the islands also dont require one for taxis, but they do drive crazy down there.

I'm pretty sure it is not a company policy but rather a customs or coast guard policy. Those to not have any wiggle room. I've heard that they need to turn in their passenger manifest which is where that time comes from. Once that is turned it I don't think legally the cruise line can let you on.

splitting of entrees is the epitome of cheap, im sorry.

 

i worked in a restaurant for a few years. i once saw a couple split a glass of wine. no joke.

While I agree that two grown adults splitting one meal, and especially splitting a glass of wine, can be considered "cheap" splitting a meal with your kids who would probably not eat an entire $20-$30 steak I dont consider to be in the same realm. That would just be a waste of money. Same can be said about adults sharing too. You do not know other people's budget. Splitting might let them enjoy a nice night/dinner out without having to put it on a credit card.

I would say have them order off the kids menu and then give them a few bites of your stuff. You should be fine.