Sand and Seas

So exciting! I'm a little jealous, but REALLY looking forward to hearing back from you and the other September 3rd cruisers. Have a wonderful cruise😎

Totally agree. It's been several years since we cruised with our 3 boys in an Inside cabin, but they were dressed & out of there every day. Too much fun stuff to do on the ship (And, I should add, they got along better with each other sharing that small room with us than in our two-story 4 bedroom house!)

Yes! I remember smelling fresh baked bread one morning on Deck 9 Aft

Awesome! Thanks for sharing this info with us. Very helpful😎

We have loved our Deck 9 Aft on Breakaway . Two cruises on Breakaway on deck 9 with no problems. Can highly recommend, Enjoy😎

We have found you can see the daily MDR menus on the kiosk screens located by the stairways on the Away & AwayPlus class ships. We scan them looking for my favorite Soufflé desserts. Even if we have a Specialty dinner that night, we have been known to go to the MDR just for dessert😋 (And, since this a Haven thread, I would rather get it at MDR where it will be served at the right temperature rather than ask the Haven to get it for me.)

Do people find it worthy to purchase Vibe passes when you are on an Alaska cruise in September?

Technically, your card will say 'free drinks while playing', but a stop at the bar has always worked for us. (Of course, I have an Ultra card, but works for my DH's regular card too!)

Great advice here! We do fine with skipping the drink package and just using our Casino drink card. You can pick up a drink on the way to a show at the casino bar (when casino open). We just stop by the bar with a tip sandwiched between our players card and room key. Great bartenders in the casino and they will usually remember you.

I've been putting up with Diet Pepsi on NCL for years so I'm pretty happy with the reported change to Coke products. Coke Zero is my beverage of choice! (But can make due with Diet Coke😉)

It's possible your BF Forward will be a 'secret' large balcony (next to the ClubSuite Large Balconies.) Look at the BFs farthest forward. Of course , smaller balconies above will look down on yours so less privacy. Also close access to the District Brewhouse and other venues😎 Hope it works out for you!

A trip down memory lane for me! I've sailed NCL with all of these logos except maybe the first? Guess I'm getting pretty old! My latitudes number is just 6 digits, although my DH's is a standard 8 digits and all of our cruises have been together. The 6 digits has confused a couple of agents I've called. It was hard to convince them I had it right!

This is the kind of helpful detail we always find from BirdTravels! Great embarkation tips to set up your entertainment and dining (or dining changes). Although you expect all the AwayPlus class ships to be the same, there are some differences like the narrower Manhattan. If I recall, the narrower ship (due to lifeboat placement) also has a smaller Local so less seating. Not a big deal but we noticed it.

Excellent question! If they follow the same plan as other ships, the first Platinum voucher would be Cagney's or Le Bistro. Get's a little trickier after that. My best guess? Los Lobos and Onda. Would be nice if they include Palomar as a choice, but we do love Los Lobos and Onda. Another answer we will be waiting for from the Sept 3 cruisers.

Is the L'Occitane lotion nice? Wondering if I need to bring along own lotion. Thanks!

Thanks! This is on my 'watch' list😊 We would prefer not to sail from New York logistically, but this looks like it's a great cruise. From New York ending in Miami makes it a bit easier for us as we like to stay in SouthBeach after. It just might be number one on my 'what should I book next' list.

Thank you, if you were posting this for me. I already have a 9 day in Dec 22, and a 12 day in April 23. I'm looking for cruises in mid 2023 through 2024. (On the Away or AwayPlus class)

Yes, don't want B2B. Love the 11 or 12 days that go to the ABC islands.

@Birdtravels, thanks for posting the pictures! Is there also a L'Occitane Lotion provided? Are they in small 'take-home' sizes?

We really love Onda so very happy it's on the Prima. Palomar is listed as 'Mediterranean' with Seafood as the 'star attraction'. Very intriguing so can't wait to try this one.

So if our baggage fees are charged to our NCL online account, will our non-refundable OBC cover it? Always looking for good ways to use that OBC!

I've noticed the same thing and it's a good guess it's a change due to what NCL has gone thru due to Covid scheduling. I've been searching for future cruises that are over 7 days from US ports. There are less of them then there used to be. We have a 9 day from New Orleans this year but can't find one next year. It seems like all of the longer cruises out of Miami are now just on the older ships. We have a 12 day on Joy out of Miami in April, but can't something similar on the large ship the following year. From where we live, we have a several hour flight to any US port. Would much rather take a 9 day or longer cruise but we do prefer the newer ships. (Not to say we haven't loved the Dawn, but not for longer than 7 days.)

Sorry complawyer, but I'm hoping the changeover on Bliss comes in the next two weeks to COKE products....I've suffered for years with the diet pepsi😉 Maybe there is a compromise? If the bars stock Diet Coke cans I can make do🤔

We have always loved the Lobster Rolls at the walk-up window at Ocean Blue, I still haven't tried the American Diner, but now I know I need to try the Lobster/Shrimp Roll sliders and my DH will definitely want a shake. Your reviews always help me prep for future cruises. Also, thanks for the casino pics! Looking forward to our 9 day Breakaway cruise, and I just might spend a bit of time in there😉

We had flown to Miami a day before our January cruise......and then they cancelled with about 17 hours notice. They refunded all plus a 20% off future cruise. Our insurance only covered our one extra night in Miami plus the change fee for our airfare. We paid several hundred dollars each for our original airfare cost plus no refund for first night in the Miami hotel. If you're in this situation, get a receipt for every meal and any other charge you have during your 'interrupted trip'. We flew home and immediately started booking another cruise with NCL. I still feel they have been doing the best they can with covid cancellations, but this one was our most disappointing.