Denmar828

On 4/16/2022 at 11:19 AM, mtrancher said:

Have you ever found an all inclusive list of what liquor might be available on board NCL ships?

It's interesting they don't list some of the bottles likely available as it might induce guests to upgrade.

 

I'm on the fence regarding up grading. I completely agree with your vacation strategy regarding paying for as much as possible upfront, but list of 'other' liquors available, wine by the bottle, etc does not thus far compel me to pay the $1100 upgrade. Seems like I could pay the difference and likely save money albeit have a much higher bill at the end of the cruise. Also I wonder if I would inevitably settle for a covered beverage rather than splurge on the upgrade, thus defeating the idea of an all in vacation. It's kinda like having a ski pass in the winter; by the end of winter it proves I would have been better to pay each time I went rather than pay the cost of the ski pass, yet I know there would times I would talk myself out of going if I had to pay for each time individually.

 

Fortunately I know whichever way I chose, I'm still going to have a fantabulous vacation.  

It’s a tough decision. If it is not in the budget you will still have a great time. You will probably be more careful about what you order. If you do the upgrade you will probably be more carefree about how or when or what you order.

I like your ski pass analogy, I will probably get a pass next season just so I can go for half days instead of feeling like I need to get there early and stay late just to get my money’s worth. Sometimes these extra freedoms cost a little more.

On 4/2/2022 at 5:56 PM, mtrancher said:

Another safety measure I have taken is to us a vacuum sealer to seal the bottle in a bag so if it does break there's a good chance it doesn't leak out to the whole suitcase. if I have room I intentionally seal the bag with some air inside, rather than vacuum the air out, so as to add additional protection.

I’m not ruling this out as an option yet. If I arrive in town early and have a rental car to go to a liquor store and buy wine this might make sense. Especially if I can board with the wine in grocery bags or some other kind of disposable box or package that I don’t have to travel with.
 

Currently for me this just seems like a whole lot of extra hassle that I don’t want to deal with. I’ve shelled out a lot of money to get my travel clothing looking good and fitting into a small under seat bag. In other words I’ve paid a premium to travel light. I don’t like checking bags. I don’t like waiting for bags. I don’t like having my bag taken from me at the entrance to an airplane and shoved into the belly of the plane. I don’t like losing my luggage.

Once I’m on the ship the only thing that I need in my pocket is my room key. If I want a Starbucks I get one, or two, or three. If I want Moët or Veuve champagne for breakfast I just whip out my card and get one. If I want a San Pellegrino, or two, or three in the middle of the day or with a meal or whenever I feel like, I just get one. I could do all this and just be surprised at what the bill is going to look like at the end of my cruise or I can get the Plus package and feel comfortable knowing that it won’t cost anymore other than a few dollars of taxes levied while in port.

So still thinking about it, but still in the camp of pay in advance and relax to the max.

17 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

Yes. And responses have answered that question. Not sure what your concern is. Non Haven guests are supposed to pay a fee for eating Haven food. And most tables in haven rooms don’t comfortably seat 4 people. 

We could have easily sat four at this table and now I wish I would have thought of this. I would have gladly paid the extra to have a dinner party in the room.

On 3/30/2022 at 2:00 PM, RocketMan275 said:

Two points:

First, there is no  limit on the number of bottles of wine you can bring on the ship.  You will be charged $15 / bottle regardless of where it is consumed.  Case in point, I brought six bottles onto Breakaway about three weeks ago and was charged $90.  (The two bottle limit often mentioned comes from other lines which allow you to bring aboard two bottles without paying corkage.) I would never consider upgrading to the Premium Plus because of the better wine selection.  It's far cheaper to bring your own even when paying corkage.  Plus often certain wines listed on the package may not be available.  Bring your own, you save money and you know what you will get.

Second, the standard coffee offered in the Haven is french press.  Even the coffee your butler brings for room service is french press.

Sounds intriguing. I’ll keep this in mind for future cruises.

However, a big part of the cruise experience is total relaxation and being served things that we normally do for ourselves. I mean, I could bring sandwich meat and a loaf of bread and make my own sandwiches too.

We like walking around the ship and making a spur of the moment decision to get a drink or coffee on a completely unplanned whim, instead of having to go back to our private room and have it there.

On 3/27/2022 at 7:20 AM, TheycallmeDrew said:

When you say 2 do you mean total or per person (4 total)? Double up is 4 total. 

Two total for our single cabin.

On 3/25/2022 at 6:40 AM, KateQ22003 said:

Can you tell me if you did this directly with NCL, or through a travel agency? I am trying to book an owner's suite for a June sailing and my travel agent is telling me I can only use one because it is less than 6 months out. Do  you think they pick and choose which cruises they allow this?

 

I booked it on the NCL site. I was in a hurry with the booking and didn’t even notice until I got to about the second or third page in the process and I saw that it gave me an opportunity to put a checkmark in the boxes next to the cruise next credits that it offered.

Following 

Following 

When are you going? We’ll be in one in 10 days. Not sure what the difference is between H4 and H3. Ours is on deck 10 and is H3, as far as I know.

Depends, I guess. If it’s a sailing that they’re really pushing, such as the Latitudes recommended cruises, maybe. I just booked a Haven Deluxe Owner’s Suite, 16 days out and was able to use two FCC’s.

Hennessy XO

So what if we just ignore all this waste of time and money, can we just stay on the ship? I’m not really that excited about a six hour port visit anyway.

4 minutes ago, ggTexasGal said:

If you were to book one of these rooms, you would receive a letter (or email) listing the perks you receive.  You would be able to select 3 bottles of alcohol (or wine bottles) from a selection that would be on a list.  Also, included are water bottles and mixers for your alcohol (again, from a list).

Limousines have not been an included service for the "Owner's Suites" for over 7 years.

(I believe that the 3 Bedroom Villas used to receive that perk, but, not sure they do any longer).

You will have access to the Haven, and have access to a designated restaurant for Breakfasts and Lunches. 

Special seating area is available for the theater shows.  Your Butler  and the Concierge will assist you with any requests you might have (if they are able).

So when I select my three bottles (not a big drinker) will I be charged for them?

For those who have booked 10504 or 10004 directly, not an upgrade, are there any extra perks that come with these rooms? Like all inclusive mini bar? Someone at NCL mentioned limousine service to the airport, but I haven’t been able to confirm this. Anything else I should be aware of?

We just booked a Haven suite on the Pearl. I usually get the thermal spa package when we cruise. However, I understand that there are saunas in the Haven on the Pearl and was just wondering what others think about just using the Haven offerings. This is a short, four day, cruise.

 Thanks for your feedback.

Thanks everyone. It was a phone issue. I can see it now on my iPad. 

My signature was working with my cruise history only just a couple of weeks ago. Why isn’t it working now?

I just discovered that Hennessy XO is covered by the Plus plan. I didn’t see it on the available online menus, but I’m happy to report that XO is a go. 

23 minutes ago, monl765 said:

Just off of the Dawn, and tipped $1 for 2 drinks per order.  My roommate crashed early, and the friendly bartenders would give me 2 x double scotch drinks per order after that.  No additional charge.

 

Tipping helps a lot, it was a half filled cruise, but every time we walked up to our favorite bar the guys were pouring our drinks before we sat down.  Sometimes ahead of people already there.  They also still had the hero cards on the Dawn.

 

Soft drinks off of the bar tap were included, cans were extra.  Specialty coffees were extra.

 

Oh yes, Suites+ could order 4 or more drinks at a time, not just 2.

Thanks. I saw someone else suggest something like this. I guess I thought I already paid gratuities in advance. But what I’m gathering is I simply supplemented their wages (because they survive on a tip economy) and it is really an expectation, rather than a tip. So the real tip is the cash at the point of service.

I picked up a pocket full of two dollar bills, because I’m interested to see how these go over as tips. I figure one $2 bill every time my wife and I get a drink. Note: This will be my first drinking experience on a cruise after 22 years of abstinence. So please forgive me for sounding naive.

What about drinks with your meal. Do you leave extra tips there as well?

We are scheduled to sail on the Breakaway this Sunday. We got upgraded to the Haven and now I’m wondering if we should upgrade our drinks package to premium plus as well.

I know one really has nothing to do with the other, but since we’re pulling out all the stops and going top shelf, I’m just wondering if it’s worth the extra expense for the premium plus package. For those who have used the premium plus drinks package what drinks do you recommend to get the most value?

My wife and I along with 2 other couples will be on the Civitavecchia to Miami. We are all from Oregon and Idaho and we have been on several Trans-Atlantic repositioning cruises. The ship will probably be less than 70% full. Mostly older retired adults with a few younger couples. There might be a few children, but not many. We love the Trans-Atlantic cruise because they tend to be a little more laid back. With fewer passengers you tend to meet the same folks multiple times and you will probably be on a first name basis with some of the crew members (bartenders anyway) as well.

Thanks for the reply. That's exactly what I was looking for (and expected when we booked). I'm trying to catch up on the roll call thread. I'm only up to page 8. I'll check in once I've caught up a little more.

You might want to check out the Roll Call for your sailing. There, you will find some of the folks who will be on the cruise with you.

 

I've found it for you here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=53892291

Thanks. That should be helpful.

Hi All,

We're new here and planning our 4th cruise. We're excited and curious what the passenger demographic will be like on a repositioning cruise from Civitevecchia to Miami.

We are from the Midwest of the United States. We only speak English but look forward to meeting people from other countries.

What was your experience like if you have already done one?

Also, if you are planning on going on this cruise in November 2017, where do you hail from?