Sailing12Away

9 hours ago, N-8 said:

Good advice, didn't know that but I usually stick to beer so my bladder usually isn't happy. 🙂 Have to say, on port intensive cruises, I may stop getting the drink package. Trust me, I can easily put down much more than 4 drinks in a day. But EVERY day of a cruise gets old quick. 

Nah, you just need to broaden your horizons. If you're a beer person - instead of a mimosa for breakfast, do a shandy. Get a pale ale and a lemonade and mix em together. Poolside get your normal beer or keep it light with another shandy. Dinner can be the normal beer. And after dinner find a liqueur you enjoy and sip it over some cubes during the entertainment. Easy peasy.

20 hours ago, Russiamomm said:

 

I stand corrected based on the written terms and conditions.  But rules are not always followed.  The T&C also say it’s two guests maximum, but just last week we were able to use one voucher for four of us at Food Republic on the Joy.  The server didn’t bat an eye.  Granted that Food Republic is not one of the traditional specialty restaurants like Cagneys or Ocean Blue.  In those I can see that rule being enforced.  

NCL picks and chooses which rules to enforce on which day, and depending on much loudly you bark they change their minds.

Our last trip we had 3 passengers sharing the same cabin. All 3 were platinum or above, so we had 2 different letters in the room talking about our perks. We went to eat together at Moderno one night and it was a fiasco. They were saying we couldn't use 2 of our vouchers at the same time. And when we pushed back to say what if guest 3 ate on their own but happened to pick Moderno as well at a different time of night, would we be prevented from eating there too because he beat us there? 

Eventually after getting the manager they let us use 2 vouchers for the 3 of us. They kept pushing for me to just use my FAS credit, but I didn't want to do that because what you get with FAS is a little different from the latitude voucher in some restaurants.

As for Food Republic being shared for 4 people, you get 4 items per credit/voucher person. So my guess is they don't care how many bellies it is filling, 4 items if you're using one part of the credit. We've used a single credit at Q between 2 people, and the 2nd credit at Food Republic for items and 2 people. So yes, you can 'share' a voucher, but it depends on the wait staff and how they interpret what it is you're trying to do.

6 hours ago, 7SeasLover said:

I love the Almond Croissant. Do you know if we can get them in our Haven Deck 10 Aft Penthouse? Not in the Haven proper, but the view was to die for not to book it!!!! 

Every Haven guest can ask their butler to bring those heavenly goodies to you every single day, regardless of where your cabin is located.

For anyone with a hankering for them at home, check your local Trader Joes. Leave them out overnight to proof and pop em in the oven in the morning. Yummy yummy.

https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/4-almond-croissants-098265

Go see whatever interests you on the first leg. There's no guarantee the performers will still be there, or be able to perform on the 2nd leg. If something was really good, you can go again on the 2nd leg. If it wasn't, you know you can skip it and go check something else during that time.

We had one trip where we were going to see Choir of Man on the 2nd night of their performance, and it ended up getting cancelled - so we missed it completely.  

On 4/23/2024 at 8:50 PM, benel204 said:

Can we have Haven restaurant dinner brought to our suite? And without advance notice (with 30-60 minute notice I meant)? 

You can ask your butler to bring you just about anything they serve on the ship. As for how long it will take to deliver to you - that's a different story. Depends on where the food is coming from (MDR vs Haven restaurant vs a specialty place), depends on when you request it (6:30pm prime dinner hours when everyone is busy vs 3pm when it's in-between typical meal times), and whether all meals are from the same place or the kids want nachos from O'Sheehans, dad wants surf & turf from Haven, and mom wants the baked ziti from MDR.

Last minute requests have always had about a 45-60 min wait in my experience. So if you're able to plan ahead, it helps. We ordered lunch one day at 9am to be delivered to the cabin at 11:30 for 4 adults and 2 kids, 11:32 they were knocking on our door. Different trip we ordered from the included shanghai noodle bar for 3 adults for ASAP delivery - that took almost an hour to show up.

1 hour ago, Guindalf said:

Thanks for the responses.

 

Yeah, no FaS this cruise, so with five nights, we would only need two specialty meals as we're in the Haven anyway. We sail on Sunday, so nothing's booked, but the concierge can work wonders if needed 😉

 

We had a two meal plan booked and canceled when I checked the Platinum perks. We'll find out Sunday what we get, but we DO get the drinks package as Haven guests.

 

On our last cruise (in the neighboring room) in February, I had a couple of guests who had the upgraded drinks package buying our johnny Walker Blue for me. I doubt I'll be that lucky this time!

 

I think you need to double check your actual cruise documents because there's a lot of conflicting and incorrect information all over this thread. You do NOT get an automatic drink package just because you're in the Haven - not sure where you heard that from. 

Concierge can do things, but not if everything is sold out already. So don't rely on that completely if you have your heart set on a specific place at a specific prime time. They can't add a table if there's none left by the time you decide what you want. If you don't care what time you eat and just want to go to Cagneys one time, then yes, they'll find a spot. But it might be at 9pm the day the entertainment is happening.

4 minutes ago, Menocchio said:

Was Guiness day something NCL was promoting, or is it a fake holiday Guiness made up that NCL was supposed to know about?

 

I mean, still bad form to run out of anything that early. But really bad form to run out of the star attraction of your own party. 

Do a quick google search on "Arthur's Day" for more info. I think it officially has been discontinued, but it wasn't an NCL thing, more of a local Irish passenger thing.

3 hours ago, alanstarr said:

As an aside, there's no FAS for this cruise. It's an oddity - a cancelled charter that was being resold through a single website. Super cheap deals ($129 + fees for a solo balcony), but no FAS offered.

 

(You can buy the drink package, but it's like $85/day.)

If it's not an official NCL cruise, then the platinum perks may not apply either since those are offered through NCL - not the random company sponsoring the sailing.

We've been on Epic 3x. First NCL trip ever was in a club balcony room with my MIL tagging along, and the last 2 trips were in the Haven. Pricing on the Haven is pretty good usually (compared to other ships), so keep an eye on prices and consider upgrading if it falls within your budget. Haven rooms don't have the weird bathroom situation, and you can usually get a great price on a 2br cabin which gives you an extra bathroom.

If you're in a regular room, the bathroom is a bit odd but manageable. With my MIL sharing the room with us, she felt more comfortable pulling the curtain over when she needed to use the toilet. There's one that can be pulled to separate the front of the room from the back, so it gave her a bit more privacy. For showering, we would just shower first and then leave the room so she had all the privacy she wanted. If it's just you and a significant other, you should be used to seeing each others bits so it won't be as big a deal.

The free at sea internet package is minutes based. So if you forget to log off when you're done checking your emails and such, your minutes will be gone quick. Unless you need to be connected 24/7 for some reason, it's often better to wait until you're on board and those free minutes are used up first to then upgrade to the unlimited. It's based on # of days remaining, so if you upgrade on day 1, you're paying for 7 days. Whereas if you can wait until day 3 you only have to pay for the 5 days left so it's a bit cheaper.

As someone else said, compared to RCC there are no 'sales' to watch for. The price is the price, and you add it on whenever you want - not when the price is on "sale". 

The thing we like best about Epic is that it's very easy to walk aft to front without all the meandering in and out or through buffets or other areas. So it makes getting around the ship very fast and easy for us.

13 minutes ago, bluefish17 said:

I've always known that Haven butlers and concierges are not included in the DSC. But I'm confused about the references to beverage servers. Do they mean bartenders and bar backs? I always give them something extra but thought they were covered by drink package gratuities.

This is always widely debated as everyone interprets the letter different, and I honestly don't have a clear answer myself. But the fact that NCL charges you upfront gratuities when you add on the drink package tells me that the bartenders ARE covered already. I think the reason they put it in the letter is because not everyone chooses to get the package, but even then it's silly because I thought they added an automatic 20% for every drink order at the time of purchase (if you don't have the package). So again, not sure why they would include that verbiage if they're already covered either way.

We tip extra, because we're heavy drinkers with eclectic requests, but feel that staff have already been tipped when we bought the package.

As for the original question, we always bring cash. Sort it out ahead of time what we estimate we'll tip to each team and put it into envelopes that I keep in a zippered part of my carryon backpack. When we get on the ship, those envelopes are kept in the safe until it's time to hand them out. So long as you know where it is and always keep it on you or in the safe, it's not as scary to walk around with cash. Common sense rules of travel always apply anyway - don't pull out that wad in the middle of the street in a foreign country and proclaim to everyone nearby that you're a dumb tourist with a lot of cash on you. Be discrete, go to the restroom if you need to check it/count it/transfer some of it... 

Welcome to the club. It's every cruise, and the freebie wine list has actually improved a lot, there's some decent choices on there considering it's free. If you don't finish your bottle you can take the rest to go.

So yes, 2 guests get to have 2 extra specialty dining meals for free on every cruise from now on out. If you don't feel you need extra specialty dining, then you can skip the free at sea dining plan - although at only $20 per person it isn't a bad deal to have in your pocket and get 4 meals.

My only advice to folks planning one is to start up high and end low. Much easier for some folks with mobility issues to walk down stairs, than to walk up them. Waiting on elevators for a large group isn't ideal, and one flight down is much easier to sell than a flight up.

14 hours ago, OrcaGirl said:

 

It's true, I had a great time. Despite the long line at Port Canaveral (it was indeed really long), the weather (I got seasick, vomited all over the floor outside the Bliss Lounge), the missed port in Gibraltar (unfortunate, but it's not the first time a ship hasn't been able to make a port due to mechanical difficulties and it won't be the last), and tripping and hurting both feet really bad in Alicante (I'm still limping).

 

Until the OP comes back and continues his tale of woe, I can only assume I'm one of the 'slightly strange' or 'exotic' passengers he mentioned up front. "That blue-haired woman who threw up everywhere on the first sea day, was always taking photos of her drinks, and then sang Call Me Maybe so poorly on the last sea day?" Yep, that's me. 🤣

 

Own it and be proud. A cruise is 95% what you choose to make of it. Folks expecting everything to go according to plan, but only willing to pay a guarantee cabin rate price for that experience are setting themselves up for a lot of disappointment. 

Glad you were able to still find some joy and fun in your travel despite the ick.

On 4/22/2024 at 11:56 AM, N-8 said:

Also keep in mind, with the free drinks, BOTH persons in the room get it and pay the tips on it. So if only one person actually drinks, that's four a day....

 

Only reason I say that is that my wife rarely drinks so my breakeven is always a little higher in drink count...

If it makes you feel better, you can ask for a double shot of whatever spirit is going into your drinks. That way they're just stronger (NCL cocktails tend to be very weak to me) and you're not having to consume 4+ dinks at a time, just 2 strong ones. Saves on belly & bladder space for other stuff.

If we're flying in the day of, by the time we get off the plane, get our bags, and sort out a transfer to the port it's usually after 10am anyway which works out perfect for us. If we flew in a day early, we want to spend as much time in the local port before getting on the ship - so we've either gone and dropped bags off then walked and wandered (Seattle), or left bags at the hotel desk to wander and then come back for them (Barcelona), or did a private tour that picked us up and let us wander the country before dropping us at the port at the last minute possible (Rome).

For NYC embarkations - I won't even consider calling an Uber until after 11am just to avoid the traffic of getting into the city. We can usually get away with working from home for a half day, then hop in the Uber, and once on board make some last minute conference calls and email checks before sailing away. Doesn't help that I'm not a fan of the Haven restaurant, so getting there in time for lunch isn't a value add for me at all.

9 hours ago, sweets2323 said:

So what day would you recommend leaving the 21, 22, 23?

Ship docks on the 19th. I am assuming I would be tired from the hustle and bustle getting off the ship etc and your not counting that day.

Sounds like you need to do some research about what exactly you want to see in Athens first. Once you sort out what is a must see vs a nice to see, then you can figure out how many days you'll need to get to all of it. The day you get off the cruise would be a good day to check in to your hotel, and if it's walking distance to the Acropolis or some sights to just do that as a casual day. If you get tired, go back to the hotel and nap. If you're not tired, keep walking.

Look through this site, we used them for our trip to Greece for an airport pickup and transfer to hotel, full day tour of Meteora, and then when our cruise stopped in Athens for the day used them again for another private tour in the South. It will give you some ideas on things to see and how much time you need to do it 'right', and ballpark on costs.

https://www.premium-athens-transfer.com/

1 hour ago, cruiseny4life said:

 

Based on my interpretation of the article, the vegan place is going to be one of the Indulge stations. My reading comprehension is sometimes...well, atrocious! So, I could be wrong, but I agree with @Sand and Seas that it'll be a station at Indulge which I'm ok with. I know I've mentioned I find it "gross." And yet, I'll probably try a selection or two if I'm ever on a ship with it, unless fake meat is used. If you're vegan, why eat a substance designed to be "meat?" 

 

I'm not sure how I feel about the Thai place replacing Food Republic. When we go to Food Republic, 7 of the 8 items (usually) are sushi, so we can just go to Nama, though I do enjoy Food Republic's items more than Nama's. Mmm....now I want some sushi! 

I'm hoping you're right and I read it wrong. I'm fine with it just being an extra food truck, that seems the most appropriate way to introduce it and see how it takes off. But as much as I love Thai, it's not a replacement for Food Republic. We'll wait and see what the menu brings, but my gut is predicting a lot of drunken noodles, pad thai and more 'american-ized' things. 

Still keeping my fingers cross for a larger selection of indian dishes at the food trucks. Where's the dosa and kati rolls? Those are small simple things that seem perfect for finger food truck things.

58 minutes ago, hinote88 said:

Thanks for the info but we're not asking about the 2nd BR.  We're asking about the couch in the LR of the 2BR Haven Family Villa.  Looking to put 2 on that couch if they will fit. 

2 what? Adults? Teens? Children? 

Just because the room says it can hold 6 doesn't mean it holds them comfortably. 

The room hasn't changed, so any photos and videos you saw before the dry dock are still the same now.

There are tons of photos and videos here: https://cruisedeckplans.com/ships/Norwegian-Prima

The balcony is the little regular sized rectangle looking out the side of the ship. The deck plans are misleading.

For the folks who want to eat dinner exactly at 6pm every single night, just talk to the maitre'd on the first day of the cruise and request, if possible, the same seat every night at a fixed time. They will do their best to accommodate. 

If you want to dine with strangers, let them know you are open to seating with others. There are often times solo travelers looking for a dining mate who would gladly pair up with you. Most people don't want to eat with strangers, so if you tell them you would like that - it makes their job easier to fill tables.

There is no way I would ever pick a cruise where I had to commit to the same dining time every day. I don't want to skip a good local food find because I HAVE to eat dinner 2 hours later.

The regular 2 bedroom cabins weren't changing. They were just changing the owner suites into 3br villas by removing the existing Haven library area. So that 2nd bedroom is still very tiny and better suited for folks <20 yrs old. 

My sister used it on Prima in September for our Iceland trip as a way to stay in touch with my niece. She said on the ship it really wasn't worth it as the delay in receiving text messages was so long that we would bump into the kids randomly before the text came through saying where they were going. 

At the ports of call it worked for her to get in touch with us (we had Tmobile and free international stuff to begin with), but at sea it wasn't worth it she said - at least for the price she had to pay for 2 phones.

On 4/18/2024 at 11:30 AM, Barney Gallagher said:

We would like to board as early as possible.   Is there any trick to doing that or do we just call as soon as possible when the 21 day checkin window starts in ten days?

 

Thanks!

You don't call anyone, at 21 days you have to log into your account and complete the check-in process. You can pick an early time if you want, but you'll be sitting and waiting there until around 11am, so there's really no reason to rush to get through security just to sit and eat a cookie.

On 4/18/2024 at 11:56 AM, Treasure Hunter said:

We have always gone to the port at 9:30 am. If you are in the Haven you do not need a boarding time any longer. You will be kept in the Haven lounge with snacks and drinks until boarding. You will be the first on the ship,usually by 11:00. 

On 4/18/2024 at 11:59 AM, rbxlady said:

 

Just show up to the port whenever, of course after people in general are allowed to show up. I haven't seen anyone report being denied entrance to the terminal because they showed up before the time they picked (or were assigned) at online check-in (21 days out). Haven guests get a separate area to sit (how nice this is depends on both the port and the particular terminal) and are the first to board.

 

I really get frustrated when I see folks constantly saying "just show up whenever" and that your assigned check in time doesn't matter if you're in the Haven. We were denied entrance into the terminal building on 2 different occasions at 2 different ports of call. So yes, it does matter. I will never understand why folks are in such a rush to get there at 9:30 and sit and wait for 2 hours. The cookies and lemon water are really not that great people.

Not happy about the new Thai place replacing Food Republic. Also not too happy about an entire restaurant dedicated just to vegetarian diners. That seems something better suited to a food truck in Indulge rather than an entire sit down place. I'm sure there's more veggie friendly folks than I think there are, but I seriously doubt it will be a place that appeals to >50% of the guests.

15 hours ago, cjft said:

Thanks everyone for your very helpful replies.  Such a friendly community.  

I guess it'll be free at sea AND Starbucks (damn caffeine addiction).   I will buy as much OBC as I think I'll need ahead of time and pre pay the service charges.  Hopefully I can add OBC to my booking.

Look at the options and pricing for the different drink packages and pick the one that you think would be the best value for you. You can add the Starbucks package on if you think you'll be having at least 2 drinks per day, or just pay as you go with either a Starbucks gift card or on your cruise account if you don't need a 2x/day fix.

https://www.ncl.com/sites/default/files/790164-BEV_Package_Flyer_UOBP_PPBP Update_V7_no_crops.pdf