golden6911

Oh I would be really upset if the lounge is closed for our entire trip.  I usually like spending some time there during the early mornings to enjoy a coffee, read a book and watch the sunrise. 

Yeah, I made the Spring Break cruise mistake once, and it was indeed my worst cruise, complete with a case of Noro and two missing ports.  But we still managed to have a decent time.  If that had been my first cruise, it probably would have been my last. 

I also read good and bad reviews and make adjustments accordingly.  I try not to get too overwhelmed by the negativity, just try to learn from them. 

Interesting - when is this usually offered?  I don't see it for my August cruise. 

I have been SO worried about my BOGO flights after seeing all the complaints.  Well, I just got my flights on Saturday for my upcoming trip and they were the exact flights I would have picked if I had picked them myself.  Just adding a positive data point. 

I think some of the bad reviews are because NCL markets themselves as the "chill" cruise line where you don't have to do a lot of scheduling and planning, but it turns out that if you want to do EVERYTHING, you actually DO have to plan some stuff.  Can you walk on the ship with no preparation, and then just wing it? Sure, but you might miss a restaurant or a show.  I personally think a lot of the complaints I see would be alleviated by people spending 30-45 minutes reading and researching before the cruise. 

This makes me glad for my Bose Sleepbuds.  I have a loudly snoring spouse and these things are a game-changer. 

Our August cruise was warm, overcast and breezy - not great for extended outdoor seating.  I would get the thermal spa instead. 

Interesting.  I haven't sailed NCL since 2015, when I got an upgrade to a Haven suite.  I am sure it is different now, but I started getting emails about potential upgrades 10 days prior to sailing.  They didn't do bids at that time, they just posted open rooms with reduced pricing.  The suite I ended up getting went from a $2000 upcharge pp down to $500 upcharge three days before sailing, when I jumped on it.  I may bid on some rooms if they come up for my trip on the Prima in August, but not holding my breath. 

Also following along as I am going to be on the Prima this summer. I also interested in taking a Bermuda cruise, potentially next year.

I don't think they have an incentive to really deal with this because people who are really bothered will buy Vibe passes or maybe Spa passes in order to have a stress free experience. 

Thanks for the advice!  I will look into adding supplemental medical insurance to our trip. 

I paid for my trip with a Chase Sapphire card which has travel insurance included.  It looks pretty comprehensive and covers up to 20K trip cancellation. 

I think that should be enough coverage, but I am wondering if I need more than that?

3 hours ago, hallux said:

If you're taking the BOGO you're not booking the airfare yourself.

Oh, I thought you could request to be booked the day before?  I have no options at all?

I feel for the OP, because that sounds very stressful, but I will try to learn from this experience.  I booked a cruise leaving from Iceland with the BOGO but I will do a day before extension once I book the airfare, and I will also buy travel insurance. 

I don't know that the vibe will be worth it on an August Norway/Iceland cruise - don't think I will be sitting outside enough to make it worth it, but I would jump on it for a warmer cruise for sure. 

I don't cruise very often, so this might be a different perspective.  I ended up getting a last minute super cheap Haven upsell on my 20th anniversary Alaskan cruise ($500pp going from a Balcony to an Owner's suite - I couldn't say no).  The experience started from the beginning, which was the separate embarkation plus a lunch at Cagneys - super nice way to start a trip. 

The cabin was also super fantastic.  King bed, huge bathroom with a tub, two balconies, a sitting room and of course the butler.  As someone not used to that level of service, I didn't really utilize the butler very much - but he did do a lot of thoughtful things.  He kept bringing us in room snacks and once he realized we liked fruit, he brought us fruit plates every day. 

The one downside.  The experience feels....isolating.  I get that this is the point for many people, but I kind of like being around other people and feeling the hustle and bustle of the ship.  I ended up using the Haven pool once, but I was the only one there, and it felt kinda...weird. 

But the cabin, if I had paid the rack rate, would have been an extra $4k total on the trip vs the $1k I paid.  That would not have been worth it, imo. 

I priced the Haven out for the Prima trip to Iceland I am taking next year and it is easily $10K more than a balcony Spa cabin I booked.  Not even remotely worth it for me.  But if there was another crazy cheap upsell, I would do it, maybe for say, $1-2K more pp.  (Won't happen on a new ship, but a girl can dream). 

This is all getting me super excited for my Iceland/Norway trip next August!

I hope there is a spa as I booked a spa balcony cabin.  Otherwise, that category shouldn't exist. 

All this gimmicky stuff is kind of cool, but I am more interested in more details on the restaurants and thermal spa, since that is where I will spend the bulk of my time on the ship (I booked a spa cabin). 

It is quiet, but it is very small. They took me on a tour before my spa treatment, and it was just 4 heated chairs, a sauna, and a shower area. The other thing is that if I had paid for solitude and quiet, I would be really annoyed at people bringing strangers in every hour trying to sell passes.

NCL has a much, much, much nicer thermal spa area at a similar price.

I specifically told my cabin steward that my son had vomitted and that there was soiled towels, because I wanted him to take precautions when cleaning. Last thing I want is to spread this everywhere. I will be quarantining him myself until we leave tomorrow. I feel awful for him. He is probably never going to cruise again in his entire life.

Posting from the other thread:

No quarantine. With my daughter, it was so mild (vomiting once with no fever) that we both assumed it was food poisoning or sea sickness. The next night, I threw up once and then was fine. At that point, I suspected it was viral, so I laid low even though I felt perfectly fine. My son has been in his room all day, but none of the the staff has enforced a quarantine even though I mentioned he was ill to the cabin steward. I am going to have him stay in until the cruise is over at this point, poor guy.

No quarantine. With my daughter, it was so mild (vomiting once with no fever) that we both assumed it was food poisoning or sea sickness. The next night, I threw up once and then was fine. At that point, I suspected it was viral, so I laid low even though I felt perfectly fine. My son has been in his room all day, but none of the the staff has enforced a quarantine even though I mentioned he was ill to the cabin steward. I am going to have him stay in until the cruise is over at this point, poor guy.

This has not been my favorite vacation......

I am on Anthem, and I totally agree. The Windjammer, while not spectacular, is loads better than the MDR.

The first meal at the MDR I made the mistake of ordering the steak. It was really bad. The onion soup was also quite bland and the creme brûlée was awful.

As much as it is badmouthed, I quite enjoy the buffet. Fresh fruit and salad and bread at every meal, usually a few dishes that are quite tasty. They had a pie night one night, and a cupcake bar another night.

I also like getting a taste of a few different things instead of going all in on one meal that I may not end up liking.

If I want to spend 2 hours at a meal, I would prefer a nice meal at a specialty restaurant less often.

I am on this cruise and can confirm norovirus. So far 3 of the 4 of us have had it on three different nights and I have heard others talking about getting sick. My daughter had it Monday night, me Tuesday and my son on Wednesday. My daughter and my cases were quite mild, but my son is pretty miserable. We have all been religiously washing our hands, but honestly, with the way this ship is set up, it is a lost cause. The real only way to control it would be if they didn’t allow you to exit your bathroom or stateroom door without washing your hands. All of the elevator and touchscreen buttons are just spreading the germs. Plus there are lots of small kids on this very full ship.

I am glad they are going to give the ship a very full cleaning.