2Cruise4Ever

I never did figure it out. Sorry!

Hello fellow NCL-ers! Leaving on Escape this Sunday and am so very excited! @Sthrngary I have my Butler letter ready to go, too (thank you for the template!). Will write a review with pics when we return. Thank you all so very much for the helpful advice! We love the Haven and are super excited to return!

You're very welcome. And, same with us. We actually took our 10 year anniversary cruse a month early so that we could sail with some crew members who's contracts were ending. Love the NCL staff and crew!!

Awesome. Thank you!

It's funny how a few CC-ers try to puff up their feathers... YOU do NOT!! And, I am so thankful for that! I so appreciate all your tips / tricks. In fact, I took your Butler letter and customized it for us for our next cruise in 13 days! So excited! We have sailed NCL for over 20 years (probably not as many cruises as you, though). And, we have been afforded some special requests that weren't really requested.. I won't elaborate... it's between us and them. So, I get you about staying incognito! We do, too. It's all about the relationships you / we forge with the staff and crew. Not to expect anything special... just because we like to have those new friends. We are still friends with many NCL-ers from when we first sailed as a family nearly 20 years ago. It's an honor and a privilege to have those friendships.... and NOT to be flaunted!

Thanks for the info! We plan to hit Bayside Marketplace for sure. That looks like fun!

Are there any wine / liquor stores nearby the Intercontinental? We can bring wine on board and are flying in. So we don't want to pack wine bottles - lol. Hoping to have a few to take with us on the cruise.

For ours it's listed as 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The new rumored schedule shows 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. I don't like the shortened time, either... but will still make the best of it.

Yep, the ship is re-positioning to NYC right after our cruise ends.

One of my friends who booked through BJ's noticed the itinerary change on her reservation online. And, most definitely about advanced warning! We sailed the Getaway in Feb and was supposed to go to Bermuda... they switched it to Nassau instead and didn't tell us until we were boarding. Fortunately, the excursion I had planned had a full refund policy for cancelation and had enough time to call before we set sail.

Oh, yeah, I knew about that... forgot. Not a big deal, like I said. I have been in touch with someone who is on the ship now and confirmed the change. Looks like ours will be affected, too, if they stick to the schedule you mentioned. I'll be prepared to make changed if needed.

The people I know who had their itineraries changed didn't know about it until a few days before. And, I know someone on the current sailing who said they changed it last minute. Do you know how long they will keep the new schedule? Not a big deal... I just need to move some things around if it does change.

Rumor has it that the itinerary has changed for the Escape sailing 8/13 to 8/20. Some travel sites (that a few of my fellow cruisers booked through) are announcing the change, but NCL hasn't said a word. I did some research online, but haven't found anything. The original schedule was: Day At Sea Puerto Plata, DR St. Thomas Tortola, BVI Day at Sea Great Stirrup Cay Rumored schedule: Great Stirrup Cay Day at Sea St. Thomas Tortola, BVI Puerto Plata, DR Day At Sea Anyone here heard anything?

I don't believe so. I think it's only the first two listed on the cabin.

I think the MDR for lunch on port days varies. We've been on cruises where one is open and we've been on cruises where they are all closed. So, yes, check the dailies.

No need to reserve the MDRs. It works like a regular land-based restaurant. Walk up, put your name in and they give you a beeper if there is a wait. We've never waited more than 15 minutes.

Doubtful there were any empty seats. Both MIA and FLL airports were closed much of the day on Saturday due to the storms. So, it was a double-whammy for the airlines this weekend!

So sorry the OP had a lousy time. Wish you all the best on whatever other line you choose. Been cruising for over 20 years, mostly on NCL. Have never had what I'd call a "bad" cruise. Some experiences were better than others. But, my philosophy is "My worst day on a cruise is still better than my best day at work!" Frankly, I'd be happy with however many sea days the ship would give me. The ship is a destination in and of itself. Embarkation fiasco? Definitely not NCL's fault... blame the port authority. Canceled ports? Good luck finding a cruise line that doesn't cancel ports. It's in the fine print of the contract. Dinner in Cagney's wasn't good? Oh, well... no cash out of your pocket. You could have asked for an additional dining coupon to try somewhere else since it was so bad. I'm hard pressed to believe guest services wouldn't oblige. NCL also has no control over flights. Since you disembarked early enough you could have tried to fly stand-by. I'm not an NCL cheerleader by any means. Just pointing out some areas that could have been better or no fault of the cruise line despite what some might blame them for. I am a cruise cheerleader! Any cruise I'm in, in my opinion, is a good cruise!

We sailed Getaway in February in a balcony cabin. No robes. I believe they are only for Haven / Suite guests.

Thank you so much! We are only in Tortola for a short time. We've been trying to figure out what to do that day. Excursions are out of the question since we dock from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and we're not early risers. I've read so many people say that there is virtually nothing in the port area. Uh, I think they were wrong! This looks to be absolutely perfect!

Thank you for these suggestions! We plan to stay all day at the Taino Bay aqua park and take advantage of the lazy river and pools.

True! They only release 20% of the reservations pre-cruise. So, you can still do what you want... just take care of it right away as soon as you board.

You don't even need to go to the restaurant reservation desk. Make a bee-line to one of the touch-screens near any elevator. You can make your ressies there. Then, head to muster.

The check in times were added when covid testing was a requirement. That is no longer the case so they do not enforce the check in times anymore. Arrive whenever you want to. We were on Getaway out of NYC in February... no one was looking at check in times. If you want a smooth process then plan to arrive after 1:00 p.m.... most of the onslaught will be before then.

On board a ship with nearly 4,000 people.... really the only quiet place with a lounge chair will be in the Haven. You can always tell your butler and concierge not to fret over you. But, I think you'll find their services to be excellent. If you and the fam want to go to a show or a specialty restaurant your concierge will handle those reservations for you. Want in-suite dining for breakfast, lunch, or dinner? Your butler will take care of that. Been cruising for 20+ years and I can tell you that every single cruise I was treated like royalty... Haven or not. But, we like to quiet areas, the extra attention to tiny details, and especially the food in the Haven restaurant. Will we sail in a regular balcony? Yep, and have many times. But, when we are with our family, it's Haven every time. For the reasons I mentioned above, and we can get a 2 bedroom suite there.