goldmom

Looking forward to this. I've loved your previous reviews!

That's interesting. We've been on the Gem many times. I used to be that the starboard side of Bali Hai was smoking and the port side was non-smoking. Don't know if there was any official change or if the smokers just sort of spread themselves out. Too bad.

Thank you so much for the very enjoyable review. I loved traveling along with you and hope you cruise (and write about it again) soon. While I appreciate what you're saying about the butler and agree with you, on our last cruise in the Haven even when we told the Butler exactly what we wanted, it never appeared. Although he did bring us one plate of fruit 2 days after we asked for it. And yes, we could have spoken to the Concierge, but it just didn't seem worth my time. I figured he was having a bad week and he saved us some calories. LOL! Happy cruising!

I agree! I guess the problem is that once you have an exceptional butler you know what the level of service can be. That makes the poorer service even more disappointing. Years ago, one of our butlers mentioned that he went to "butler school" and then worked with another butler onboard until he learned the job. I don't think that the butlers are now getting any real training and it shows in the level of service. Hope you still have a great cruise. We've just decided we'll roll with the punches and just not expect exceptional service and that way we'll be pleasantly surprised if we get a good butler. Enjoy!

I think it's very much butler related. We've had butler in and out of the Haven who were very pro-active. They would bring treats including gummy bears and m&m's and if they saw we enjoyed something would replenish or bring it often. (Sometimes too often! LOL!) Other butlers barely dropped off some tired looking strawberries and called it a day and even when we asked or mentioned our preferences we still were left without. It could be inexperience or just that particular butler's attitude. Most of the time, we let it slide as we really don't need the snacks although it does make you feel spoiled. But our tip will reflect the amount of spoiling we received. Our last time was in the Haven on the Gem and my DH said that they were really cutting back on things, but I think it was our butler as others seemed to be getting all kinds of treats. Our butler was pretty much MIA, but our room steward was great.

I have been making dining room reservations for awhile now. In the same place on your reservation where you make specialty reservations, it also shows the dining rooms as places to eat. I just clicked on the dining room info and the same reservation page as the specialties came up. Sometimes I had some issues, but just would randomly keep trying until it worked. I think I may have also once called the dining reservation number and also once the pre-cruise Concierge (if staying in a suite) and made them over the phone too. Good luck!

The mini bar is not free in the family suite.

OMG, you are absolutely right! Guess I had a little brain blip there. LOL We've sailed the Star and Dawn, but mostly sail the Gem so I completely forgot the Star is pre-courtyard. Everything else should be correct.

Off the top of my head. Pre-cruise Concierge Ability to make online dinner reservation earlier than non-suite passengers Priority boarding and disembarkation Special dining room for breakfast and lunch (in Moderno and Cagney's) Afternoon treats Butler and Concierge Free room service Free in room movies Special seating in the theater Since you're in an Owner's Suite Access to the small Haven area and private sun deck 3 bottles of liquor unlimited soft drinks and water There may be other things that I'm not remembering at the moment. Enjoy

As long as your booking is through the Casino, the drink card will be in your cabin. I booked a cabin last October for my 3 kids through the Casino and they all got the drink cards.

Couple of other things to check. First, make sure the mailer is from NCL. There was a travel agency that was sending out flyers a few years ago that made it look like they were from NCL. Is the number to call the NCL telephone line? Also, on mailings I receive from NCL, my latitude number is shown above my name in the address box. Check and see if the number matches your latitude account. If all that is correct, then I would definitely try to escalate this and ask to speak to a supervisor directly. Or try an independent agent as graphicguy suggested. Good luck!

YAY! Very happy they modified this. Now I can start looking for a new cruise! Maybe they actually do listen to their customers.

Absolutely! And the "suites" are more like a larger balcony room. Nothing like the larger suites on NCL. In all fairness though we were on the Insignia which is one of their older ships so I don't know if the newer ships are more spacious.

We have done Haven and Oceania. I prefer the Haven. We didn't find the food to be any better than on NCL, except in the specialty restaurant. We found we like the layout of the suites better on NCL. We enjoyed the smaller ship size on Oceania, but found entertainment and the Casino lacking and the Concierge unhelpful. I realize others have had better experiences on the premium lines, but we were disappointed. We were also on one of the older ships which may have contributed to our experience. Our favorite thing on Oceania was the specialty coffee bar!

For me it's more the breeze than the noise. Although the noise does cover DH's snoring. Maybe DH will stand over me waving a palm leaf. That would take care of the snoring and the air current. Lol!

More than likely that will be the case, but at least I made my voice heard. And, maybe if enough people complain they will reverse or at least revise the decision. They have occasionally done that. Or at least I can hope. Lol!

I am a long time NCL cruiser and currently Diamond Latitude. I read recently on cruise critic that NCL has now started added all types of fans to their prohibited list. I would respectfully ask that NCL Corporate re-evaluate this decision or at least amend it. I take a small battery (using D batteries) operated fan or USB fan with me on vacation I have done this for the past 10 years since a entered menopause. I also use a fan at home and have not slept without a fan blowing on me for 10 years. I will not be able to sleep without a fan which means that I will no longer be able to go on NCL cruises. I can understand banning electric fans, but to ban battery operated or USB operated fans makes no sense and will certainly impact many people's cruising decisions. Please rethink this decision or at least allow those of us who need a fan to sleep to be allowed to at least bring a battery or USB operated fan onboard with a doctor's note. There are many of us for who a fan is a medical necessity in order to sleep. Here is the e-mail I sent basically I'm just asking them to re-evaluate no matter what prompted them to make the decision in the first place.

I am sending an e-mail to the corporate office address shown above and ask them to re-evaluate this decision. I would suggest that anyone else here on these boards who are unhappy with this also write an e-mail.

I have also taken a fan on cruises for many years. I have the battery type that use a USB port to charge and also another one that uses only D batteries, so no cord no recharging. I guess I will bring them both on my next cruise and hopefully they'll let me keep one or both if there's an issue. I honestly don't know if I'd be able to sleep without the fan.

If you earn enough points during this year to qualify for the next level (Ruby or whatever) they will upgrade your card immediately and you wouldn't have to wait until April 1, 2024 to be at the next level. You would just have to earn the entire amount of points required for that level.

You are way too polite. I would have spoken to the host/hostess and told them that I had been waiting xx minutes and still hadn't had my order taken. That or try to flag down a server. Glad you had the delicious cake back in your cabin. Safe travels home.

Every casino I have a card for you need to qualify for your upper level tier every year, unless to have the basic entry level that everyone who signs up gets. If you have a Casino that lets you keep your premium level for more than a year consider yourself lucky! CAS points definitely reset once a year. The only time they didn't was during the pandemic when they weren't sailing. Then they allowed people to stay at their current levels for more that a year.

And that's what makes cruising great. Everyone can do what they want. Even within the same family you have different personalities. Some may be sun worshipers who love the noise and energy of the pool deck, others may like the tranquility of the spa, and others may enjoy a cool air conditioned space to relax and watch the world go by. A cruise ship manages to meet the needs of all different types of passengers.

I think the fan on the prohibited list must be a recent addition. I have taken a fan for years and never had a problem. I can understand prohibiting electric fans, but battery operated or USB fans seems to not make much sense. I really need a fan to sleep also. I'm going to pack it and just see what happens. It works on D batteries so no way is it a fire hazard.

We've sailed the Gem many times. There is a Courtyard butler who will serve breakfast and lunch in the Courtyard and will also get drink orders. As mentioned, he's only there from like 7-5 and isn't in constant attendance. Sometimes you have to wait awhile for him to appear and take your order. The Concierge is usually in the bar area of Moderno during breakfast and maybe lunch time. Otherwise he's a phone call away. The Haven area is small. There is the small pool, and a hot tub and lounge chairs. The upstairs area is really nice with big cushiony seating. Just an FYI, the only way to access the upper sundeck area is a short flight of stairs. While it doesn't have all the amenities of the larger Havens on newer ships, if you can get a good deal or an upgrade it's a nice place. I just don't feel it's worth the prices they are currently charging. On the Jewel class my feeling is that a non-haven suite with all the other amenities is probably the way to go. Enjoy, whatever you decide.