Sand and Seas

Just pointed to the same sign as above saying 'footwear' required. Apparently my dressy sandals are not footwear? Maybe only on Breakaway? Confusing 🤔

They did have this sign on hostess desk. Does anyone see something about sandals in this wording?

Interesting! May Getaway and October Joy definitely allowed sandals for men and women in the Haven restaurant.

My husband has always worn shoes to Le Bistro and Ocean Blue, however I have worn dressy ladies sandals. Guess the Breakaway is no longer giving us ladies that option. ....and they looked much dressier than the gym shoes they made me change into. Strangely Ocean Blue was fine with my dress sandals.

Has anyone been told of a new Haven restaurant dinner dress code? Just got off Breakaway and was surprised to be sent to change from sandals to shoes. It was a bit of a hike back to our forward facing suite on a different deck but we did go and change to shoes. They said change was fleetwide 3 months ago? Sandals were allowed in Joy haven restaurant in late October. (I did see a lady in a sundress and flip flops that same night....but I didn't report her🙄)

It definitely depends on who the Butler is for us. We just had a butler on our 5 day Breakaway that was pretty much useless. Had a great time anyway. However, our October Joy butler was awesome and really added to our experience. He listened to our likes and dislikes. We love the Haven restaurant and easy disembarkation. We don't need escorts to shows.

I am Ruby tier (35,000 plus tier pts per year ) which is 2nd highest CAS tier. In all the years since they added the ability to download cash at the machines it has always added the fee. Fees are removed by host at end of cruise for top tiers. If you look at Casinos at Sea page on ncl dot com there is a chart that shows removal of the fees as a benefit for upper tiers.

Yes, as you charge at slot machine it asks you to confirm the 3% fee. At end of cruise host removes fees for higher tiers.

Yes, we first got chocolate covered pineapple from the Casino host. Since then we have requested from our Haven butler. It's delicious 😋

Is your obc non-refundable? I'm always trying to spend more that last day.

@DrUrsula, thank you for sharing your review with us! We usually sail in the Club Balconies and love that amazing shower too! We will be on Encore next month. It's been a few years since we cruised on her but we loved Onda and Los Lobos😋

If you reach 5000 points in the playing year (April 1st to March 31st), you can start earning additional benefits per cruise. Here's a link to their page https://www.ncl.com/why-cruise-norwegian/casino-cruise/players-club

I believe that's the Cuban Roast Pork plate with plantains. We love those sweet plantains and have gotten them in the Local and O'Sheehans.

Yes, we have had a couple of 12 night cruises comped. I'm sure others have had 14 nighters comped, or back to back cruises comped. That's great that CAS contacted you for $$ off an already booked cruise! How many tier points did he earn during your cruise? You may be close to (or already qualified for) additional benefits per cruise. It's based on how many tier points you earn during the earning period of April 1st to March 31st. For example, I am Ruby and each and every cruise I get $400 OBC, 400 minutes of WIFI and upgraded drinks in the casino. Then, I also get additional OBC to comp items off my bill at the end of the cruise based on my play.

Invited guests were an important part of their return to cruising. Someone upstairs is crunching numbers and making some interesting decisions lately.

Just to note, the above pictured shampoo, conditioner and shower gel are usually only in Haven, Suites and Spa cabins. Regular Club Balconies (and below) will have a combined 'conditioning shampoo' plus a shower gel. If you need a good conditioner, bring your own.

You can buy a Soda package for one of you after boarding. Maybe that's what you have read about before? I use my OBC after boarding to purchase the soda package so I can get my 'cold caffeine' at meals. We get free drinks & water cartons in the casino and so don't feel the need to pay the fees for FAS.

Do the onboard Starbucks sell gift cards? I'm always looking for more ways to use my OBC😉 (I tried searching the forum...)

@BirdTravels, your pictures are awesome as usual😊 Will you be giving us a review of Beetlejuice? I see they have scheduled it at the same time as the very popular Rumours in Syd Normans🤨

Galveston is a beautiful island and a wonderfully friendly port to sail from. Hope you have a great cruise 😊

??? Ruby Tier gets $400 OBC for each cruise, but this doesn't match to our Admin fees of $20 per person/per day unless we book a 10 day cruise. I believe Sapphire Tier gets $200 OBC for each cruise.

We got a rate of about $245 per night which included taxes. Doesn't hurt to check out for your dates. Make sure to check if you are eligible for AARP or 'Senior' discount. It's walkable to several restaurants. We felt very safe walking in the area.

I know they can use any of the menus any day they want, but in my experience (over 40 cruises with NCL) they have generally stayed with the same order of days one to seven menus. I use the list of Days 1 to 12 to plan when to book our specialty dinners. I only recall one time on one cruise that they changed the order of days 5 & 6. (Did you know it's perfectly acceptable to eat dinner at La Bistro and then go to the MDR for Banana Soufflé?) Personally, I wish we would get to see more usage of the other 14 menus. And yes, I wish they would post them in advance for planning😒

That's true, however the link in post #1 above does match what I recall seeing on several cruises for those days. Although they can change those menus around, I have seen that same Day 6 menu in for the MDRs for several cruises. ( I like the Banana Soufflé served on Day 6 menu.😋)

Very well written! Thanks for sharing. I especially appreciate your explanation of what actual 'Suite' amenities are on Joy. Very helpful to the rest of us!