hateswaterloves2cruise

We were on the delayed cruise and also had confusion over when we would dock.  But NCL was wonderful opening a conference room and providing internet and phones for people to change flights, etc.  the captain kept us aware of the changes. It was the harbor master who made the decision we couldn’t dock, not NCL.  We felt very sorry for all of you waiting to board and know we got the better end of that problem.  

Food is definitely subjective.  We ate in Cagney's 3 times and every meal was delicious.  Prime rib and filet mignon was outstanding.  We were very disappointed in LaCucina.  Menu has changed and the items we ordered were so-so.  Best thing there was the tiramsu dessert.  LeBistro was good and for some reason Moderno did not do it for us this time.  We ate at Grand Pacific once and the other main dining room 3 times.  Good service and food was certainly edible.  I really don't expect gourmet food on a ship serving 2000+ dinners each night.  Loved the Great Outdoors.  Had the drink package and never had a difficult time getting drinks.  Even though we are 5 hours from NYC it is still easier to sail from there unless we have gone to Florida for vacation.  Thought the crew handled the extra night very well.  We'll be back!!

We went on the Epic in the Haven in February. Loved the Haven, hated the Epic. Way too big for us two seniors and I didn't like having to have reservations for everything. The Haven however saved us. Nice area, great pool area, sun area, dining room and bars/lounges. It was a splurge for us, we have stayed in suites on the Gem size ships never been in a haven before. Only way I would go on the Epic is in the haven.

Thank you so much for taking us along!! If by chance you notice, could you post if there are any painting classes listed in the dailies?? Ty!!! Enjoy!

Just got off the 4/21 sailing and there were painting classes in the card room at least 3 of the days we sailed. I didn't participate, but noticed them in there.

Taking 2 grandsons, ages 13 & 16, on a cruise that goes to Nassau. Does anyone have experience with the dolphin swims at Balmoral vs Blue Lagoon. In reading reviews and descriptions they sound pretty close but don't want to pay all that and wish I'd done the other. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.:)

Thank you so much. I've been searching the NCL site but didn't go far enough I guess.

:):)

I know I've read in these boards about the paperwork needed when you are taking children (not your own) on a cruise, but when I used the search nothing came up.

We are taking our 2 teenage grandsons on a cruise for spring break. What do I need to have with us for NCL and any port we may get off at?? Is a notarized statement from the parents sufficient or is there something special we need. Thank you to anyone who can offer help.:)

I apologize in advance if this is in the files somewhere but my search showed "no such matchup". We are taking our teenage grandsons (13 & 16) on the GEM in April over their spring break. neither has ever cruised before and we have never taken kids on a cruise. Do you have to sign them up for the teen club? are they able to come and go as they want from it? What do you do in Port Canaveral?? Looked into going to space place but we don't get in port til 12-1 p.m. and it closes at 5. Is it worth it for that amount of time?? Obviously I am second guessing myself and concerned they will be occupied enough and have fun. I've never paid attention to events for kids/teens. Help!!!!

We have sailed NCL a lot and DH really enjoys the thermal spa. We splurged for the Haven on the Epic (cause its our first time on a BIG ship). Wondering if he will still need the spa pass. In my research I have heard the Epic Haven is the best and that it has some spa rooms- sauna?, steam room?. I believe there are private hot tubs just for Haven but don't want him disappointed. For what its worth we will probably stay on ship in most ports due to mobility and age issues. Thanks for any incite you can give me. :)

deck 10 aft on the dawn are quite large

We really aft balconies on the smaller ships, especially those on deck 10 because the balconies are so much bigger. We also like to go out of NYC in the winter. Next winter only the Breakaway and Escape will be going to the Caribbean from NYC. For those of you who have gone on the Breakaway does one deck have larger balconies than others?? Thanks for any input. Also for anyone who has stayed in a spa balcony (another option) a lot of them are under the workout room. Is the noise from that room a big problem?? Thanks again.

We really aft balconies on the smaller ships, especially those on deck 10 because the balconies are so much bigger. We also like to go out of NYC in the winter. Next winter only the Breakaway and Escape will be going to the Caribbean from NYC. For those of you who have gone on the Breakaway does one deck have larger balconies than others?? Thanks for any input.

Also for anyone who has stayed in a spa balcony (another option) a lot of them are under the workout room. Is the noise from that room a big problem?? Thanks again.

That is great to hear we are in 10730 a regular aft balcony

We are in that cabin on the 9/8 sailing. We too got the upgrade offer but when I saw the only available aft suites were on 8 I didn't bother bidding. We love the aft rooms, prefer suite, but NCL is pricing us out of the market.

The only concern about the mini suite is the bathtub. It has quite a high side and may be difficult for your mother (depending on her age and abilities). We had a suite with bathtub and my DH ended up showering at the spa every day because of the difficulty getting in the tub. Just something to think about.

I have never been in the Haven but have been in suites on the Dawn/Jewel ships and have found the "special" embarkation to be less than it used to be. Most ports don't have a separate room, just an area where they have you sit while waiting to board. Cookies, breads and drinks are available. On the last two suite cruises when they went to board us, they were also boarding the first group. Talk about confusing!!! We were trying to follow a little lady barely 5' tall and there was pushing and shoving. The time before that the butler bringing us onboard got us mixed in with the handicapped group and we lost him way before the gangway. Fortunately we were familiar with the ships and found our room then Cagney's for lunch. Maybe Haven gets even better service, but there were Haven people in with us in Tampa.

I agree that prices seem to be higher. Recently booked a Bermuda cruise and could only get an aft balcony for what we paid for a suite 2 years ago. I know, I know - 2 years!! But we sail pretty much the same ships, same itinerary and see prices much higher than the previous year. I do keep watch in case they drop but haven't had too much luck with that lately.

We were just on the Jade and when in Jamaica and a couple of other ports we saw NCL employees walking around with their families with "visitor" tags on. I know the head chef was from Jamaica so I'm pretty certain his family was there. I think that's a wonderful thing NCL does. These folk are away from their families for 8-9 months at a time. Saw several happy little girls hanging on their dads. :)

We too were on this cruise. I believe due to the 12 days most of the people were retired and older. I heard there were only 24 kids on board and several of these were under one.

Music is subjective and I don't know how they decide to play what they do but I'm sure this demographic appreciated the "older" music. We enjoyed the Glenn Miller tribute in Spinnaker one night and it was followed by more modern music.

We ate in Grand Pacific the first night and had great service and a great meal. Six of the 12 nights we did specialty dining and only ate in Alizar once but definitely enjoyed it.

Great cruise. Calm seas, lots of sun and warmth. Now back in CNY with 2 snow events since we returned. :mad:

There have been several comments on the 8th deck aft rooms on the Gem indicating that unless you are a night owl you are better off avoiding them.

We were on the Jade for the 12 day 1/25-2/6. We knew about the slide removal prior to going, thanks to CC. They were working in the pool area during our cruise as well but other than the noise, were not a big distraction. The ship is in need of some updating but the crew was fantastic. Big smiles from everyone you met in the halls (with the exception of one grumpy steward) and on deck. Food was great in main dining room, buffet and specialty. A day at sea is a bonus and everyone should enjoy it.

My DH uses a cane for walking longer distances (like from parking garage to boarding area). As soon as we pass thru security and check in usually a person comes over and directs us to the handicapped boarding area. This group boards right after suite guests (at least in NYC). We didn't have to ask or anything. I'm sure if he's in a wheelchair there will be no problem. If he's not, tell him to use a cane and if no one approaches you, ask as soon as you are finished checking in.

Thanks so much for this info. Last year there was an $80 off, this is even better.

Vinegarjoe thanks for the extra input. We too are easy to please and don't look for things to complain about. Friends of ours had a 10th deck suite on the Gem a few years ago and when we visited I was in love. Our 9th deck penthouse didn't seem quite as large and I loved the balcony. I booked this cruise over a year ago just to get the 10th deck. We've had good butlers and indifferent butlers in the 4 or 5 times we've been lucky enough to stay in suites (first time was an amazing upgrade to 2 bed). We don't do dinners in the room or ask for anything special. I'm just happy to be somewhere where I don't have to cook, clean or really do anything. Plan to spend a lot of time on the balcony reading. It's snowing and blowing so badly here we couldn't leave if we wanted to. Hoping for better weather next Saturday. :)

The balcony is wonderful, mismatched furniture and all. So just hang out there! And yes, you'll have a totally brand new mattress (well, just used by us and the folks on the cruise that left yesterday :)) and a new mirror on one of the doors. If you smell that fishy odor when you enter the cabin, you may want to say something.

 

I hope Ryan is still the cabin attendant. He was absolutely wonderful, one of the best we've ever had.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

I'm sure we will enjoy our cruise. Our one last Feb on the GEM was bad weather all the way to PR and most of the way back. I have a video I did off the aft balcony that looks much worse than anything I've seen with the Anthem issue but we still had a good time.

Thanks for the new mattress, mirror and closet door fix. We had lots of things break and crash last year, hopefully this year will be much better.:)

My plan is to relax on the balcony. We've done this cruise so much I don't even care about the ports anymore altho going to the beach is a pleasure. We're not big butler people but still appreciate a friendly one but usually the room steward is the best. Thanks for the updates.

Very bummed to read this. We are in that suite beginning 2/21 and I have been looking forward to a 10th deck penthouse forever. We had one booked on the Jewel a few years ago but had to cancel when DH got pneumonia. We have had aft penthouses on the 9th deck but the 10th was my dream - with the bigger balcony and the one we visited a couple years ago was much better layed out than ours. Oh well, guess I'll just have to hang on the balcony and ignore the room issues but I sure hope the smell is gone for good. Sounds like you had some maintenance done so hopefully we won't have to. ;)