Vyhanek

Definitely not. One night of the cruise NCL will offer a very limited number of kids....like 20, the opportunity to eat dinner together and then go to kids club. That's it for help with dining. If this is important to you, you will want to pick another cruise line because the others offer better dinner/kid services.

Carnival will take kids every night if you want. They have a meeting time/spot in the buffet and kids just get dropped off without advanced notice. I can't remember what Royal does or Priness. Maybe others will have better insight.

Have the variety of kid that would sit thru dinner, even NCL main dining room dinners that can last 2 plus hours! And back in the day, every NCL dinner was 2 plus hours. But we have family and friends who's kids cannot sit like that and will be very, very, very disruptive to everyone else around them. They're kids need either a 6 minute meal or they need to be dropped off with the kids club to eat at the buffet with the other wild natives. Its not an issue of parenting, it's an issue of how will everyone be happy on this cruise!

Is it the same as a Vegas Cirque. No. But it's still good and worth the money. I liked the food too.

The Haven sundeck has about 25 loungers. There's no way near enough seating for the amount of Haven guests wanting them. It turns into a chair hog situation. Then to think if you'll be lucky enough to snag one in the shade, the chances are really gonna be slim. If you can, I'd get the Vibe passes. They will have umbrellas, a bar, plenty of loungers you can come and go as you want.

Calling NCL excursion desk or the pre-haven concierge will be absolutely no help. They can help you ONLY with what you could book yourself online.

The Haven concierge is able to work some magic but only once you're already on the trip. They do hold extra space on excursions and dining for Haven guests. Yes, openings do magically appear for Haven guests......but you would know this only once you've boarded the ship and talked to the ship's concierge directly. The pre-conceirge (when you get your Haven letter) will be useless.

I'd probably try to book a private tour for that day just to be sure you've got something. Private tours are always better, always less crowded, always less waiting, less piddling. If you can afford the Haven, you will want to pay extra for a private tour where you aren't hassled like cattle on the ship's excursions. Over the past few years, the ships excursions have gotten worse about being over crowded and slow moving.

No retractable roof.......and that's a really, really good thing.

On the other ships with the retractible roof, the whole structure is made with metal and glass and noise bounces all over making the whole Haven area really noisy. Even with a couple well behaved kids, it's noisy. Doors slam and the noise bounces around. People talking on the lower level, you can hear their whole conversation on the upper level. The glass enclosure/retractible roof, makes the Haven area, not nice.

Like others have said, the Epic has the best haven, it has the biggest Haven pool, the most sun loungers in the Haven and the upper sundeck, known as POSH is a really big outdoor deck with it's own dedicated bar! It's big, there is no chair hogs (like on the other Haven sundecks) because there is room enough for everyone. The other ships don't have bars in the Haven sundecks. You have to go down 2 floors to the Haven lobby bar for a drink, or wait for the one Haven server who also has to go down 2 decks to get drinks and it takes him awhile.

If you have the option, go with the Epic Haven. I've been in most of them. It really is the best by far.

Miami Vice and Mudslide

The Haven definitely has the best food on the ship and the best service. No question. PP are correct, the menu doesn't change except they will offer a special. I would think if you are in the Haven you'd want to eat in the best resteraunt more than once!

Also, the specialty dining is ok. You aren't going to get a better steak in Cagney's than you will in the Haven. I always like the sushi bar which isn't even a part of the SPD. On the Escape, my favorite resteraunt is Food Republic which again, isn't a part of the SPD.

I think a package with 3 dinners is good. I think 6 would be excessive and I wouldn't use them.

All year long, the Gem is going to feel a lot less crowded than the Escape, Breakaway, Epic....bigger ships.

NCL really packs em in tight on the bigger, newer ships. Even if the bigger ships were cruising with a bunch of empty rooms I think you'd still feel like those ships are more crowded. They've maximized cabin space at the expense of public areas making way, way more people per public square foot. Those bigger ships feel crowded all year long!

If you like that uncrowded feeling, stick with the smaller ships. Especially if you value sundeck space, open space for public ocean viewing. On the newer ships, that area is cabins......more cruisers, more revenue.

Those yellow water slides were absolutely terrible. My kids tried them about twice and were disappointed and frustrated. You really aren't missing anything but disappointed kids. Take your kids to a swimming pool with a water slide before you leave. I assure you any waterslide will be more fun than those slow, get stuck, yellow slides. They sucked even when they were brand new. I remember probably 10 years ago when NCL made a big effort to fix the slides, that didn't work either. They really need to go.

Those yellow water slides were absolutely terrible. Even when they were new, they weren't slick. I remember my kids at that age, getting stuck on them over and over and over. Have you ever been down a slide where you stick to it the whole way and have to creep and crawl down on your butt? That's how those slides are and have always been.

I know you and your kids think you're really missing out. Take your kids to a swimming pool this summer that has a slide or take them to a water park. Those old yellow slides NCL put in were a huge disappointment and removing them is several years overdue.

I think many of you are missing that the OP bought her excursion ticket MONTHS ago she says. So if the tour operator sold 80 ticket and can now only take 50, it's highly unlikely she wasn't in the first 50........MONTHS AGO she said. I've cruised NCL long enough to know excursions like this don't sell out months in advance.

NCL should be looking out first for the passengers that booked first. This is the issue. And THAT is in NCL's control.

I never was on the Sea but I was on the NCL Dreamward a few times. Maybe sister ships. If so, those ships had the most enormous sickening motion. Don't compare that ship to any other NCL ship. I remember bouncing and bobbing around like a cork. It was awful......both times. I remember seeing lots of sick people.

I've been on both the other ships and I think you will be fine. I never even noticed movement.

I have little faith in the pre-conceirge lately. For everything.

I ordered chocolate covered strawberries to be delivered two different afternoons. It specifically asks date of requested delivery. Both orders were sitting in our cabin when we arrived on embarkation day.

Also making dinner/show reservations thru the pre-conceirge, you might as well just do it yourself thru the website. The pre-concerige doesn't have the regular pull that the on board concerge has like to get you in a resteraunt that shows "full" on the website. The onboard concerigr can/will get you in very near your requested time. The pre-conceirge can do no more than you can online.

Pick the items up off the chair....turn it in to lost and found. When they return angry you say...."Oh your items were left unattended, I turned them in to lost and found".

Don't tip bartenders in advance. Especially in the Haven, you will get amazing service. I always tip on the last day $50 and I give it to who I think is the main guy and ask....."Do you share tips?" They always say yes.

Not topless. I'm pretty sure the topless decks were removed several years ago on NCL ships. ^^^^ Seriously, you can't imagine why topless sunbathing wouldn't be allowed? It's not allowed in POSH or anywhere else.

The POSH sundeck on the Epic Haven is for guests 18 and over.

Definitely Uber. Break into 2 groups. Its easiest and cheapest.

I agree about the Epic Haven being the best. Also, they don't pack as many people into the Epic Haven. At Xmas this will be really important. POSH on the Epic is so, so nice. There's plenty of sun loungers for everyone. Cushioned, enclosed, some in the sun, some in the shade completely unlike the sundeck on the Getaway. The bar in POSH is big, nice.

The only drawback is the Epic ship itself. The outdoor promenade with the option for outdoor dining on the Getaway type ships is so nice. The Epic is terribly enclosed, it's hard to even see a peak of the ocean if you aren't lucky enough to be in the Haven, in POSH. The shows are bad. The elevators on the Epic in particular and inadequate. This problem will be magnified when the ship sales beyond capacity at Xmas.

But if you are like me and mostly spend your time enjoying the Haven you will be very happy.

Logistically I can't imagine how this would work. In theory it sounds great and of course, I'd book. But NCL will offer these cruises on certain limited itineraries, on certain ships, with limited ad specific dates. Most of us, I'm just guessing here, wouldn't be able to work out just any date, be enthusiastic about just any itinerary just because it's non-smoking.

It's not like a theme cruise where a big musician with a huge draw of fans would drop everything, re-work their vacation plans and book this specific cruise no matter where the heck the ship is sailing.

I can't imagine there's anyone who would pay extra. Unless it's say an asthmatic who can't tolerate casino smoke drifting onto the Atrium area and the only way she and her family could cruise is if it were non smoking. Then she might be willing to pay a premium. You're talking a fraction of people.

If you have flexibility in your dates of travel, I see no reason to book in advance anymore.

The Haven concierge onboard will be able to fix anything you need. That Haven Concierge that you can call ahead 100 days out or whatever, when you get the letter..........is absolutely useless. If you call ahead by phone, they can only help you with reservations you could book yourself thru the online system, they don't go above and beyond in any way at all. Totally useless!

But once onboard your Haven conceige will be able to work anything. They will call down to the resteraunt directly if they can't do it automatically thru their system. Don't worry.

Keep the 2 bedroom.

I personally like deck 17 on the Epic......stayed on 16 once and 17 once. The reason I like 17 is because there are a lot of kids and the pool area gets noisy! I liked being in the courtyard but didn't want to be directly in the vicinity of the noisy, busy pool. Plus I much prefer the upper sundeck POSH on deck 18 to the pool area. The pool area is completely enclosed, meaning you don't get even the slightest peak of the ocean. The upper sundeck is big and beautiful and wide open views to the ocean along with a big nice bar! I liked the courtyard with young kids but knowing the beautiful sundeck with beautiful views is a few steps away, made the courtyard much, much less appealing.

Being on the 17th floor I was close enough to the concierge. Just about 20 steps to the main stair and down a flight of stairs. I think as long as you are within the enclosed Haven area, there is no real benefit to being "closer" to the concierge and resteraunt. It's all right there.

Mainly I liked the 17 floor because it was a buffer from the loud kids........and I bring 2 of my own! We just don't want to be in Disney all day so to speak.

I do agree with you that the Epic, more so than any other NCL ship has uncontained smoke. It's a lot more smoke than I want to be smelling and it's not contained in the casino. I remember walking in to Le Bistro and smelling smoke! I remember waiting in line to get into the various theaters, standing in line 15 fish minutes and smelling smoke. I do agree with you that it's unacceptable.

But the other posters are right. The smoke isn't everywhere. It's easy to get away from the smoke, its just that there are parts of the ship, if you want to enjoy them, you're going to have to deal with smoke. If you want to see a show in headlines, you probably will have to stand in line and smell smoke. You can eat at le Bistro smoke free but getting there will be a small issue.

You've gotta be able to tolerate some level of smoke to enjoy the Epic.

I can confirm. The mattresses are amazing and I'd throw out my Temperpedic ANY DAY to have one!

No one escorts Haven guests to the theatre.

I guess if you want to pick away.......I'd probably be happy with just 2 meals a day. I don't need breakfast cooked. But I'm not going to fantasize that I should get a discount.

I hate the buffet. I've been to college and had all the buffet food I'll ever want! But I'm not going around advocating for a discount because I think buffets are disgusting and never use.

I love my room cleaned twice a day. Like you I'm a neat nick. But I also really like clean towels, I like my bed turned down, I like the twice daily attention and NCL daily on my pillow every night.

I think you'd love the Haven. I've never once needed the Butler in the Haven. I don't want to eat in my room. I've worked in corporate america and lived in hotels for a long time eating room service food. The haven dining room trumps any sort of food carted in, an ocean view in the Haven resteraunt with attentive servers beats a plate delivered to the room. You don't like the butler, there is no requirement to tip the butler.