amygutman

That's awesomle! If you need an agent to assist, we love our TA who makes everything just so perfect for us. You can email me at prehospitalmd@gmail.com and I can give you his contact info. He is a genius at really knowing his clients and when he suggested this itinerary, we knew it would be a wonderful adventure. I'd love to know if you book it (and no pressure at all to email me, I am just excited to share my good fortune in having a kind, ethical agent), and if you do...I would love to hear about your experience! Warmest, Amy

I feel the same re: itinerary vs ship. Keeping in mind that every cruise may miss a port, be re-routed or short-changed re: time in port due to weather, ship issues, passenger emergencies - so sometimes falling in love with an itinerary vs loving the ship / experience can lead to disappointment. Rolling the dice ourselves June 2025. We fell in love with the Spirit's Alaska to Hawaii cruise for our 20th anniversary. The ship looks gorgeous, and we booked a suite for whale and glacier / volcano viewing. Loved BOTH itinerary and ship. Well...we all know what has happened to the Spirit. So, we stumbled upon a wonderful itinerary from Israel to Egypt, Greece and Turkey. Amazing. Will be enriching and full of faith and science visiting the seats of Judiasm, Christianity, and Athenian culture. However, it's on the Viva which we are "meh" about at this point. We HATE the look of the Prima, and despite what looks like an equally hideous ship layout and design, will be taking our Middle Eastern cruise on the Viva so definitely itinerary over ship. Heck...any day not at work, right? I know you will love however you spend your cruise and look forward to hearing details! Warmest, Amy

@hamrag agree with @The Traveling Man about the breakfast and dinner for suite guests at Moderno and Cagneys. It's essentially the "Haven" menu and AMAZING breakfast buffet. For those who are not huge fans of NCL coffee, this most definitely includes the French press coffee which, IMHO, is one of the best parts of any meal. The Dawn does not have a suite "area" per se like the Gem or Pearl, but does have an area in Moderno where the concierges are located to assist you with all of your typical "Haven / Suite Concierge" requests - reservations, excursions, billing questions, etc. This area is also where you will meet for priority tendering, theater meet-ups (for priority seating) and escorts to various events. Depending on the specific suite, you will also get those benefits - like the DOS that comes with bottles of spirits. There price difference between the Haven and non-Haven is unpredictable, and we have found varies widely depending on the itinerary. For example, we were looking at the Star (similar set-up to the Dawn). It was a 7 or 8 night Fjords trip that was more expensive than a similar itinerary on a ship with an actual Haven. However, the Spirit Alaska trip we had booked (which has since been cancelled) was much cheaper than a ship with a Haven. Interesting, right? It's hard to justify a similar or higher cost when you miss out on the Haven restaurant for dinner (which may result in hundreds of dollars in specialty dining depending on your tastes) and really miss out on the quiet sanctuary of the Haven area. Honestly, it's such an individual choice, Loved the Dawn, loved the Pearl and would have loved the Spirit (still grumpy over that cancellation), but you do miss out on the whole Haven experience which is so lovely. Warmest, Amu

I agree with this 100%. When I surprised my husband with our family's first suite on the Gem for our 10th anniversary he was all "Why are we spending so much money when we can just have a balcony. What will we do with the Butler and concierge? It's so bougie!" Well - he loved every moment from the minute we checked in and had that amazing private escort past the crowds of people. Then we found out about the Haven on that cruise and since that point we've never sailed in anything but a Haven or the Yacht Club or if it's an older NCL ship in a suite. Why? Because we love being on vacation but not STRESSING on that vacation. The Haven lets you be spoiled and truly relax. Is it bougie? Sure but it's worth every penny to be truly on vacation and stress free. Warmest, Amy

Having lived in Orlando for over a year, I can honestly state that I4 is one of the most congested highways we've ever been on, with the craziest drivers, leading to an airport where the TSA is the epitome of slow. Even pre-check TSA is glacially paced. Polite, but very, very slow. However, if you have an option for a later flight, enjoy all the fun of this very cool city. NASA, Universal, Sea World - all amazing for an afternoon. Go see manatees in Port Canaveral. Disney...a very expensive day of waiting in line and not a great way to spend time unless you spend more than a day. Consider Gatorland (it's superfun) or the Sanford Zoo which is inexpensive plus you can pet PJ the rhino and feed the giraffes. The restaurant scene in Orlando is outstanding. Winter Park (a 20 min ride to the airport, 45 minutes from Port Canaveral) is a fantastic little town with an amazing farmers' market on Saturdays and a bustling shopping and dining walkable district on Park Avenue. End the cruise on a high note and enjoy Florida a little before you fly home! Warmest, Amy

@Seminole1975 Oh my word! Your son played Carl Perkins? Dyanne is his real-life wife? Wow!!! I know you probably have heard this a million times but they are so incredibly talented. Our whole family loved this show and the entire theater could not get enough. Please pass on to them they have new found fans in Orlando and cannot praise them enough for an amazing show. Best show at sea (and yes...I LOVE Choir of Men, but the Quartet just rocked our world). Warmest, Amy

Kiddo: white chocolate chip cookies Husband: charcuterie board Me: Truli vodka seltzer and a bowl of berries. I pour the vodka seltzer over the fruit, let it marinate in the fridge so I can have "boozy fruit" as a late night snack 🍷 Warmest, Amy

@graceinga We're going on our first TA in November 2024 hopefully on the Epic unless it's repositioned, and if so then one of the Celebrity ships as a (way more expensive) alternative. Following along your post eagerly to gather information from more experienced cruisers. By the way, Mazel Tov on your retirement! I hear the Villages is a rocking place! Warmest, Amy

Agree with @Sand and Seas that the Million Dollar Quartet was one of the best shows I have seen. And this is from someone who doesn’t really like the music of the 4 singers whose stories were being portrayed on stage. They were incredibly talented, played their own instruments, and had the entire theater on their feet, dancing and singing. Curious what are going to do the replacement shows. We love Ncl, and the entertainment has been the best we’ve experienced of any cruise line other than Disney. We have a lot of long cruises, coming up and would love to see some new shows and different variety. warmest, Amy

@alwalaskaYour kindness made me smile and I will you much love, health and happiness for your 35th Valentine's Day! Our TA came through today...He said "You want something special? How about The Holy Land?". It looks like we will be having an early anniversary celebration on the Viva in Israel, Egypt, Turkey and Athens. The itinerary looks lovely, completely different than what we were expecting, and the price is comparable to our 2025 June Spirit (not considering airfare which I will be working many, many OT shifts to cover over the next 2 years). Not super excited about the Viva as the Prima Haven looks, well...ugly and sterile. However, it's a part of the world we've always wanted to see. So when one door closes, another opens. And, this door opened with a 10% discount! 🥰 @Greener123 We booked the Spirit June 2025 about 2 months ago. NCL starts posting cruises about 2 years in advance, whereas many companies only list 16-20 months in advance. Like @brigand13 and many other cruisers, we try and plan 2 years in advance. Helps with work schedules and planned monthly financing of our cruise addiction. We have an Alaska cruise in September on the Encore we booked almost 2 years ago in order to secure the DOS as there are only two on the ship and did not want to miss out by waiting. Warmest, Amy

Hmm...I'll go check my notes (yeah...I do keep notes on these things). Keep in mind, hidden perks are hidden for a reason - meaning they are not consistently provided nor advertised. However, I find that if you are polite and pleasant, most of the perk requests are happily fulfilled. Please, please do not assume that just because I'm listing what we've been offered and enjoyed, that these are standard. It's clearly at the discretion of the on-board Haven staff. Off the top of my head: Extra Portable Phones: That way both parents can split up and still keep an ear out for kiddo in the kid's club (or one phone each for 2 couples, etc). This is based on availability Game Participation: Our friends had a Haven that they had mentioned to the pre-concierge that they would love to be chosen for one of the nightly "how well do know your spouse" (sic) shows. Lo and behold...guess who was "randomly" chosen Popcorn: great for midnight movies and not on the room service menu Pizza Delivery: I don't mean regular room service size - but actual full pizzas from the buffet or Italian restaurant. Can only get when those restaurants are open Free Printing: Ask at the concierge desk, email files to the concierge and they will print what you need including boarding passes, hotel confirmations, etc. This avoid business center fees Special Event Meals: I ordered an entire caviar tasting/ private chef service for DH's birthday. Was not listed as an available option but the pre-concierge made it happen. Definitely a one and done experience (as it turns out, DH does not like caviar 😆) Escorts/Pick-Ups: (no...not THAT kind) Aside from theater / excursion outings, we've had our concierge offer to pick up our kiddo from the kid's club and bring him to a lunch outing when DH and I had a spa date. We found out our butler on one cruise was a HUGE arcade fan but never played on the ship. We asked the concierge, and the butler not only took kiddo to the arcade but was given a "pass" by the casino desk to have an hour of free play. They both had a fantastic time. This was more of a hidden perk on-bard than from the pre-concierge, but priceless. Extra Laundry: definitely hit or miss, but the pre-concierge reminded us that it never hurts to ask about adding extra bags of laundry to our one-bag perk. We've never been charged for the 2nd bag (note - we usually leave a 5$ clipped to the item list with a thank you note) I'm sure there are other things, but these are the major things the pre-concierge has "perked" us with over the years. Maybe other folks can chime in as well... Warmest, Amy

What great timing on this review! Although we are going on the Viva vs the Jade, we are cruising the same itinerary in June 2025. Thank you so much for your review as we know nothing about this area and very excited to start researching the ports especially the pre and post crew stay. I just googled the view from the Hyatt in Athens, and that will absolutely be where we are booking. Could not imagine a prettier location to end a cruise. Thank you so much and look forward to following this thread. Warmest, Amy

Very sad about the cancellation of our Alaska to Hawaii June 2025 Spirit. I know it's silly, but we had found this cruise, fell in love with the itinerary and had already started planning a vow renewal for our 20th anniversary. We lost our 15th anniversary cruise to the Med due to the pandemic so this is a very frustrating blow. We are still crossing our fingers for our Epic TA in Nov 2024 but actually booked with Celebrity a Nov 2024 TA as back-up due to the multiple Epic cancellations (worse itinerary, more difficult to fly in and out of part in Europe). Like a number of people, we have started to search for other June 2025 itineraries, but nothing exciting yet. Hoping that maybe the Spirit will reappear with something sexy in a part of the world where we could celebrate our anniversary and our love of cruising. I don't recall ever seeing this many cancellations for such large time blocks - seems a very odd business decision especially when the competition is very high for passengers among all cruise companies. Anyway...the hunt is on for something fun on the water in June 2025... Warmest, Amy

It's things like - hey...just letting you know a 70% off is coming up on European sailings"..."Oh...did you know that you can order movies any time without charge?"...."Don't forget all of your parties with the officers and to book your behind the scenes tours". Things also like "no excursions yet for that port...but we will give you a call when they do happen and put you in touch with the shore excursion suite "concierge". Things like that. Honestly, after a ton of NCL cruises I still miss taking advantage of the perks available so it's nice to have a reminder. Did not mean to imply special perks for using the pre-concierge - other than amazing personalized service of course. Warmest, Amy

@JoieNsk I suspect it's an electric kettle vs a tea-pot, but you've gotten me thinking. Even if our pre-concierge meant an actual teapot for brewing (offered at all meals in the Haven and at the bar too!), it's still a win for my British friend. Will clarify this week as we have to put in our spirit orders - my friends finally settled on their requests. Warmest, Amy

Loving this! Thank you so much for the awesome review and photos. Can't wait to follow. Warmest, Amy

@Sthrngary on the nose as usual. Maria is definitely one of our favorites. Kind, funny and encyclopedic knowledge of all of the ships and quirks. Plus...she has fantastic access re: upcoming sales, sailings, "hidden" perks and special events. She puts the "personal touch" into everything she does. Warmest, Amy

I don't think it violates CC guidelines to say the name of a vlog - youtubers Ben and David just started releasing episodes of their NCL Spirit trip from Hawaii to Alaska. They have 2 episodes up now which focus mainly on the geography, but will be showing more of the ship as the episodes go on. Granted, I am biased because we have become friendly, but they are lots of fun and are showing some great features of the ship + the itinerary. Looks really lovely and very "posh" as these British boys say! Warmest, Amy

OK...just promise that you will share your adventure please? I just added a full transit and travelling from Florida all the way to the West Coast as a new bucket list so I am going to live vicariously through you and others on the same itinerary! Warmest, Amy

Thank you so much...I will definitely go back and look. Kiddo is psyched about Venice so we will be staying the night there no matter what but it is a definite bummer to have to trek 2 hours there. I appreciate your advice and will let you know what I find out. Warmest, Amy

@mnpurple heck yeah! My "hobby" is planning and dreaming about vacations...so it's a fun adventure to devour everything I can on CC, youtube, cruisedeckplans - really everything I can get my hands on. I have found CC to be extremely helpful as long as you take the comments with good humor, a grain of salt, a LOT of patience and understanding that opinions are often like...well...we all know what opinions are like 😬 Warmest, Amy

Sorry to not be helpful other than to say that itinerary looks amazing!!!! We did the Panama Canal on the Pearl and were in awe of the process. 21 days would be incredible and I know you will have an incredible adventure. Warmest. Amy

Absolutely - I'm sure someone will correct me if I am wrong but Haven guests can make reservations at either 120 or 125 days out from the sailing date. I figured out that "odd person booking" issue years ago - we had booked 4 person time slots, but it ends up being an issue for the restaurants due to occupancy restrictions (or so we've been told). I'm sure your pre-concierge is able to help you out - Warmest, Amy

Out of curiosity, as our NCL Escape 2024 cruise ends in "Venice", if the ships does not dock at Venice, is the cruise actually ending in Ravenna? Our plans were disembarking, spending the day / overnight in Venice then flying to London for another day prior to flying back to the US. Flights from Venice to Orlando are literally 3 x more expensive than London to Orlando so it seemed like a reasonable plan. Not terribly excited though about dragging our suitcases for a 2 hour transfer unless we were to pre-arrange a taxi / tour which would certainly mean knowing at which port we were disembarcing. Any information would be helpful and appreciated. Warmest, Amy