shrew

Any info on the Breakaway? Specifically looking for butler info because it would make our day to find out that Putu would be on board. He was out butler last March and was fabulous!

On 1/17/2019 at 4:26 PM, loanshark said:

Feb 16 is first weekend of Mardi Gras, mainly celebrated by locals, whereas the following weekend is much crazier.  Also, there is a Fleetwood Mac concert in New Orleans on 2/16.

This explains why there was little availability last spring. Glad I booked ours (for 16 at the Drury) last March, which is an extremely rare super early book for me.

Goodness. What a response. My bad for expecting to follow a written policy. The policy should be enough to protect kids and random employees (of any employ) shouldn’t be deciding what is and what isn’t sufficient. 

I’m sorry that your family’s divorce was disfunctional. That’s specifically what my ex and I have avoided because we know how damaging it is for the kids and that it has lasting impacts on them. 

2 hours ago, esm54687 said:

So let me understand this...... you've already been subjected to the enforcement of NCL's "single parent policy" and had to scramble to get photo ids etc yet you are going to the ship with a "Billy from NCL said not to worry" note......   makes zero sense to me but good luck.. 

 

This isn't arguing with the hostess about getting 2 appetizers using the SDP...... this is actually being denied boarding because of how a gate agent interprets NCL's "single parent policy".    SMH

Last time I didn’t have a print out of their official policy with to back up my actions. My ex and I are friendly and it’s not a problem to reach out to him like I did before; it was only a hassle. I’d rather take this route than pay for a notarized letter just because certain NCL agents didn’t know how to do their jobs. Others who may not be as amiable with the other parent should know of my experience. 

I'm torn on this. Last March I cruised with my kids (they were 15 & 16) who have a different last name than me. I filled out the parental form and had it with me, had their birth certificates, the paperwork that explained my legal name and why it's different from theirs, and had a (non-notarized) letter from my exhusband stating I had his permission to take the kids out of the country. They wouldn't process our paperwork and wanted a copy of their dad's drivers license, which we couldn't get because he wasn't available. Instead, his wife sent a photo of his passport and then they let us through. It's not what their policy said.

I got the email because we leave in not too long and I reached out to my NCL travel consultant, told him the story of March and my worries. He said don't worry about it and print out the email and bring it with. I'm going to gamble that their stated policy that one parent is fine is their policy.

I recommend having her sign up the first night as an option. My 15- & 16-year olds fought me on it last year and while they didn't do really any activities through it, they did meet a posse they hung out with for the rest of the cruise. They are now 16 & 17 and we cruise in a month with extended family. I'm still going to have them sign-up that first day so it remains an option even if they don't use it. 

I, too, bought the hydrogen peroxide wipes for our last cruise. I'm so not a germaphobe but wiping down all of the surfaces before we settled in just seemed to be a no-brainer.

As for the Washy-Washy people, I brought my own safe hand sanitizer and we'd spray our hands ourselves instead of them. The main ingredient in most hand sanitizers, triclosan, contributes to antibiotic resistance and the high-alcohol based sanitizers can cause dry, cracked skin, which lowers resistance to bacteria and viruses. 

Additionally, we vigorously wash our hands often (the friction help gets both bacteria and viruses off of your skin), and try to avoid putting our fingers on things. Like, using a knuckle to push an elevator button, put the back of your hand on the stairway banister for support, etc. Finger crossed...

I'd like to see photos of the stateroom in use. I only have one cruise under my belt and when choosing the one we're on this year, I really wanted to see photos of a certain stateroom with the Pullman bed down since I'm still a newbie and I couldn't find it. While you may not have that stateroom, posting photos of the cabin in use may very well help someone else looking at the same one.

I like good champagne - like I *really* like it. While I found the complimentary bottles of wine undrinkable, the champagne made a just fine mimosa. I'm on vacation, it was a bonus, and mimosas are celebratory. What's not to like?

On 1/8/2019 at 4:38 PM, Cruisehack said:

We just got the new cabin HH, Family Villa Suite.  We had 9 of us and was going to go 3 per room balcony cabins but the new HH in the Haven was only $150.00 more per person and is only available on the Joy as we looked on both the Bliss and Encore but the HH is only on the Joy.  I have yet to find anyone from my TA to NCL customer service that knows what these are. There are only nine of these cabins available on the whole ship.  I think they are these: http://www.iceportal.com/brochures/ice/brochure.aspx?did=3719&brochureid=ICE95210&mtype=4280&type=vr&browser_popup=700x450 that were Concierge Family Villa Suite on the Chinese Joy.  They do have 84 sql balconies!  We got rooms next to each other so hopefully we can have them remove the divider between our rooms and have a giaganto balcony.  Can't wait to see what the refurb on these rooms look like!

4

We did the Family Suite on the Star (no Haven) and it was similar; it had a king bed, a queen pull-out, and a full murphy bed, plus a table for for - however no balcony but full length windows instead. With two teens it was awesome. Hope your experience is as good!

37 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

Oh man...

 

It really is a tough one! To be honest, the primary reason (outside a nicer room) for me wanting to be in Haven is to avoid lines! I KNOW Vancouver will be a nightmare for boarding (3 ships in port and Bliss supposedly not arriving until late afternoon), and last year when we got off in San Francisco (our first US port so had to clear US CBP) it took us two hours in line to clear! I would love to avoid that if possible and it seems Haven guests have priority for these lines! Additionally, if we could be in the first group off in LA we just might be able to make a morning flight to Seattle to hop on a one night Princess cruise back home to Vancouver (though that might be just a little too stressful).

 

One last question - I am assuming that if I did decide to upgrade, it would be a case of cancelling the original booking and starting over with the new category? If so, then the price online is what NCL would charge me, right? They don't just keep the original booking and move the room?

We started and ended at Long Beach and upon final disembarkation our concierge, Suzanne, walked us past the line of people waiting to disembark that was over 1/2 the ship long (Star). Suite guests met at one place at a predetermined time (one had a few from which to choose) and she walked us right out. Same with each of the port stops. At one port stop she walked us through the bowels of the ship to the exit point (really cool to see what the back of the house looked like).

41 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

Good point - I never thought about liking it too much! LOL

This is absolutely true. My first cruise was last March on a ship that didn’t have the Haven, but they had a great price on a suite, so I bit. My teens loved it as much as my husband and I did. It was a great experience and worth every penny. 

The problem?

We’re on the Breakaway soon and while I first book and inside and a balcony, I ended up upgrading to a Haven suite not at a deal because we all wanted the perks of the Haven, particularly the priority lines (or lack there of lines). 

I’ve already determined that this is going to be our last cruise because I just can’t spend this much on one vacation. 

Be forewarned. 

The staterooms have both US and Euro electrical outlets; if you bring an outlet converter then you can use both with ease.

On 12/28/2018 at 9:26 PM, maja651 said:

When we cruised on the Jewel in the GV, our amazing butler Putu noticed I love champagne. He kept bringing bottles of the good stuff until he ran out (about 6 bottles later). He had a stash from when GV or OS passengers don’t use the champagne and I used it all up! 😉

 

My friend likes the cheese/meat anti pasta platter for snacks, and I like sweets. We ask the butler for both and always get both.

 

On our last cruise in March, our butler Leo set up an amazing anniversary spread for the hubs and I. He had decorated the table with napkin candles, a Happy Anniversary sign, balloons, a huge anniversary cake, pretzel rolls, 3 bottles of champs and many glasses and plates . (He knew we were traveling in a group of 5 as we had the OS and our friends had the 2 connecting penthouse suites).

 

I love the idea of calling the butler to bring us quickly up to the room to avoid the long elevator lines when getting back on the ship after a long day at a port. We have  never done this but I think we will in March. I imagine if we bring our room phone with us we can call when we get close to the ship.

Putu was our butler on the Star in March and he was fabulous! He brought us extra bottles of champagne for mimosas in the morning, noticed that we weren't eating the sweets really so brought us more savory - except that he knew my daughter was crazy for the chocolate covered strawberries so he brought them almost daily. Hoping he's on the Breakaway in Feb... 🙂

I sailed on the Star in March in a family suite on this same itinerary; this was prior to the refurb. It was my first cruise, so I can't compare it to anything, but my family (me, husband, two teens) really enjoyed it - enough so that we are on another NCL cruise in the next few months.

The family suite was fabulous! I wondered if I would enjoy it since it didn't have a balcony, but the massive floor-to-ceiling windows provided amazing views. Even without being able to go outside, we all hung out quite a bit in the room since there was plenty of room in which to comfortably lounge, great vistas, and we were a two-minute walk to the pool if we wanted fresh air. The four of us get along well and have shared cramped quarters while traveling before, but we appreciated being able to section off the room into separate areas at the end of the day.

The best part of the suite? Either Putu, our butler, or the filet for breakfast at Moderno! Enjoy your cruise!

8 hours ago, mizLORInj said:

A year or so ago 2 people missed the ship as we were leaving Bermuda.  They must have sped to the other side of the island because a boat brought them out right where the pilot gets off and they got on.  A very noisy crowd was watching as they climbed back onto Breakway!       

 

We leave our passports in the safe and usually have a copy or pic of it with us.  Not sure what good that would do, although i would think having your passport # would be helpful somehow.

 

 

I bring photocopies with us, too, which was helpful in getting back on the ship when my 15-yr old son lost his key card while on an excursion.

I'm pretty sure that your mini-suite doesn't come with any suite benefits. A mini-suite is a slightly upgraded regular stateroom that doesn't include any suite benefits such as a butler.

We'll be in this same type of room in February and while I know my opposite sex teens would deal with sleeping in the same bed if they had to, I have a feeling my son will end up sleeping on the floor (which he oddly does sometimes) probably on one of the chaise cushions.

My thoughts are if you've traveled to more "difficult" places with your children you'll be fine. Children grow up in Santorini and if you're prepared to experience the non-American (not easy) experience you'll do well. I say go with your gut, as everyone should.

Do Suites and Platinum get priority tickets? I have never tendered off Star but on other larger NCL ships we go down the elevator through Haven so no line. How does it work on STAR, anyone know?

We stayed in a suite on the Star in March. The concierge will walk you straight to a tender; we arranged the time the day before. We got to walk through the bowels of the ship and see parts that guests don't usually see; it was pretty cool.

My first and only cruise sure seemed like a good deal to me. We sailed on the Star in March for seven days to the Mexican Riviera not long before dry dock. Originally I had reserved a mini-suite for myself, my husband, and two teens at $825 per person with the UBC for two and internet. In early December I saw that a family suite opened up and was just $900 per person and included all the perks.

We all get along well but I was thankful that the room was huge (500 sq ft) and had three separate beds that all curtained off for privacy. The wall of windows made for great viewing and not having a balcony was just fine. Our butler, Putu, was so nice and really added to the trip. The best part, however, was the priority embarkation and debarkation - the latter so much so at the end of the trip. I couldn't believe how long the line was to get off of the ship.

However, in the long term it might not be such a deal because after booking a balcony and inside for a cruise next Feb I started thinking about that long line (I hate waiting in lines) and not getting the fillet for breakfast so I consolidated rooms and upgraded to a Haven room. It wasn't such a deal. I might have to stop cruising at this rate because I won't be able to afford it! LOL

Check the deck plans it will give you a description of the bedding.

It did say pullman, but I couldn't figure out where it was. I see it in the above posted picture, though. This set up is only in the four-person front-facing cabins.

FYI, I confirmed that there is a pullman bed in the room (which appears to be a bit wider than the other "706" rooms). The panel above the TV drops down for the third bed. This will work perfectly for us.

I'm pretty sure that there is no pullman.

 

I'm 100% sure that the balcony is partially enclosed.

Yep, the balcony is partially enclosed, which I'm not that sure about but husband and daughter don't care.

I have two staterooms booked right now for my husband, myself, and two teens (one balcony, one inside) on the Breakaway for next year, but I'm thinking of upgrading to a forward facing Haven room.

Does anyone know if the living room sleeping arrangements in the living room is a double sofa or single and a pullman?