Sailing12Away

Thinking of the most recent Cagney's experience, after we were seated the sommelier came over within 5 mins as we had pre-ordered a bottle of wine. But we waited another 5-10 mins for the waitress to come give us a menu and glass of water. We tend to stick with the same stuff when going there so knew what we wanted, but had to wait another 10 mins or so for them to come back and take our order. So nearly 30 mins before our order was even taken and put in. Apps came out in another 5-10 mins (mine was a the simple wedge salad), and they didn't come around to take the plates away for another 20 mins or so. Then sitting and waiting another 5-10 mins for the mains to come out. After we were done eating, again, another prolonged wait for the plates to be cleared and dessert order to be taken. So it's not that we're slow eaters, but the biggest thing has always been a really slow service to move things along.

That's been our norm with NCL lately anyway at places like Cagneys especially, so nothing new there. Our last trip the sommelier gave my Haven card to someone else, so we had to sit there an extra 15 mins after finishing our meal so they could go to guest services and get me a new room card. It's odd for me to not have another 1-2 NCL trips booked to look forward to (I have none right now for the first time in 5+ years), but I'm exploring all options and we'll go with itinerary first, and our perceived value next. If I can find 6 Haven level friends with flexibility in their vacation schedules I may even go completely off the deep end and look into private yacht charters at this point. I think the one I had priced out for a week in the Caribbean would have cost around 30K for 8 people before adding on food and drink choices. So gee..... a boat for only 8 people going wherever we wanted for as long as we wanted, or a ship with 3000+ other people and you're on their schedule and time and itinerary....

It all depends on the ship and what the expectations of the group are. We've done a few trips with us in the Haven and family or friends not, and it's been ok if expectations are managed before getting on board. Our most recent trip was on Prima with my sister and her family and some friends. We were in Haven, the rest of them were not. We had a few specialty dinning meals planned out for the group, and during the day we would meet up at times and wander together for lunch in the Local once, but we did our own things. We had breakfast in our room, they went to the buffet. One night we ate dinner in the Haven restaurant, they ate at the MDR. For disembarkation, they got off first on their own, we took our time skipping the line with the concierge and met them outside off the ship. Another trip we sailed with my parents, same situation. Had a single dinner in the Haven restaurant (fine with me, I'm in the minority and don't rave about the food there so one and done is more than ok), and all other dinners were with my folks. During the day we would go to the Haven pool, mom went and played bingo, dad went and napped. After dinner we went to the Haven bar, mom went to the show in the theater, dad went to bed. So it all depends on how much time is needed to spend with the group together. If they're fine with seeing you every now and then and sharing stories of what the other person did that day - great. If they expect to have a babysitter and someone to take them to each activity all day long - it will be exhausting and you will feel like you're missing out on what you paid for. They can certainly come to your room, and my sister & family did on Prima many times. But there's only so much you can do sitting on a large balcony in cold weather before teens get bored and everyone wants to go do something else. The older jewel class ships are also very different from say the breakaway plus class. Jewel class you can do it and not miss out on much, whereas the breakaway plus - you would be wasting your money if you didn't spend a bit of your time there. If your friends are fine with you going without them to your private place, then fine, but if they're passive aggressive about it like my mother it's not worth the headache. Trust me.

Since you're a dog person, Icon also has their resident yellow lab on board for people to pet and say hi to. That reason alone is why I've considered a short trip with them to try it - just to pet the dog each day. We haven't sailed with them yet to know for sure, just going based on their "free drinks" promotion. When you dive deep into the weeds it's got a lot more holes than NCL's "free drinks" promo, but there's no 'hidden' cost for adding the "free" package on. I think it is only with meals as you said, but if the mini bar in the cabin is free (even if it's just soda) that alone will be sufficient for many of our needs. We're fine with brining a bottle or two of port or regular wine with us to have in the room too. The eye opener for us though was just previously thinking some lines were out of our price point - when in fact they're not. At least for what NCL is charging for the type of experience we appreciate. Folks who are fine with an inside balcony are still a few leaps from switching companies, but those who regularly sail in the Haven are much closer than they may think.

There's more to it than that. Nothing wrong with staying at a Holiday Inn, but it's certainly not the same experience you would get staying at a Ritz. It's the little things, the types of linens, the fixtures in the bathroom, the furniture, room size, the little touches. Can you still have an amazing vacation without marble sinks, fresh flowers, and 1000+ count egyptian sheets? Of course. If not, none of us would be here on the NCL boards. But if the prices were somewhat similar, wouldn't you rather be at the Ritz when the occasion called for a vacation splurge? But that's my point and rationale in saying you can't compare a basic balcony on NCL to a basic balcony on those other lines. It's the little things beyond the basics that add up to justify the higher prices beyond extra sqft, free mini fridge access, unlimited specialty dining, etc. Plus the rom sizes are much bigger on the other lines, more akin to the club balcony rooms at least on these older NCL ships. Since you're not in the realm of 10K vacations, those things may not matter to you at all. But for folks like myself who do splurge for mostly Haven trips on NCL, we hit that price point often - and at that price point you question what else are you not getting for that money that you can get from another line. Since you've stayed in the Haven - can you honestly say the experience and touches within the room are the same from your regular balcony room to your Haven room? Bathroom sink is the same? Shower is the same? Decor/touches the same? Room size/comfort the same? To keep things as fair as possible, here's Asian trip options on the 3 lines, and comparing 3 cabin types on NCL Sun (Sky is sold out for suites for that trip), all around the same month. Your own logic - who in their right mind would consider paying 6-7K for a basic balcony room on NCL when many of us have been able to get into the Haven at that price point? For that extra $260/day I will gladly take the upgrade where you get 100+ things for it and the overall experience will be significantly different with half as many passengers around you. But again - completely depends on the person. Folks who are not afraid of NCL free air program can have substantial savings (those luxury lines don't have good pricing on flights at all unless you pick business class). Folks who don't care about wifi, specialty dining, the spa, robes, fancy linens.... not a value add to them so they'll stick with whoever is cheapest. Viking vs NCL Sun in a Club Balcony - would love to hear the rationale for wanting to pay more for NCL (beyond the casino argument for those who like to gamble).

Ahh, that's the issue. I don't consider comparing a balcony on NCL to be a fair comparison to an entry level cabin on the other lines. There's a lot more things included for 'free' (ie, wrapped into the price already) on those lines. So an entry level cabin on the fancier guys is more akin to a club balcony at a minimum in my eyes. This is the itinerary I really love as it hits a bucket list stop in Male for me. 16 days in a club balcony suite works out to $690/day. Consolation trip that hits Japan is an 11 day at a price of $865/day. 14 day trip on Oceania in a basic balcony room works out to $957/day. So yes, higher, but you're in one of the 'worst' cabins on the ship with a LOT less people and a few bonus things the NCL trip doesn't include. As opposed to being mid-range in cabin class with NCL. Itineraries for 2026 aren't up yet to compare more fair date ranges. 13 day trip on Viking in a basic balcony room works out to $846/day. Again, smaller passenger count and extra freebies that NCL isn't giving make it a better overall value in my eyes. I guess my main point is that when I hit prices of 10K+ on NCL, and I'm not in a suite or the Haven, I have to start scratching my head and ask myself what am I doing and why am I NOT looking at other lines when your cross that comfort threshold of what we find to be 'fair' pricing for a vacation.

Couple of decently priced short 3-4 day trips. Book a suite or Haven and there you go. Are the extra perks you'll get from moving to Sapphire really worth the 3K though (plus flights)?

For us it's about perceived value for the price being asked. I looked the other day at the Asia itineraries and I love them. But they're on smaller, older ships, and they're charging Haven prices for club balcony rooms. Sorry - but at that price point I'm jumping ships. For the price NCL wanted for an 11 day cruise on the Sun in a club balcony room, we can sail with Viking for just slightly more money (~1K) in a larger room with more included perks. Or on Oceania where their entry level suite is still significantly bigger and better than the simple club balcony 'suite' on NCL - and the price on Oceania was about 3K cheaper! We have a price we're comfortable paying, and if NCL isn't meeting that we will gladly upgrade to a fancier cruise line where you get more things for less money. We live a short 40 min train ride into NYC - so we don't cruise for broadway shows or fancy meals, we have that easy at home. The ship is just the easy means to visiting a lot of new places. And if NCL is pricing us out to other lines, so be it.

We had the same experience a few weeks back on Epic. I had written about it in my live review while on board. Had some OBC to burn through so bought the 10 pack, only to find out it can't be used with non refundable OBC. So that was just an extra charge on our bill and still needed to use up the OBC. The game froze twice and had to be restarted, then when they finally got contestants up there my screen was locked on my phone for round 1 so I got zero points. Maybe if we were bored and had nothing else to do we would sit in and watch, but never giving them a dime of my money again for that. It was a shame since Price is Right was actually a lot of fun, free to participate, and lots of chances for multiple guests to go on stage and play. Not with wheel. It's a complete dud and will probably be pulled soon if not tweaked. I don't understand why they can't change out the participants each round - that would at least give 12 people a chance to play and win a whopping ~$120 in OBC. What skin is that off NCLs back?

Uber dropped us off on the bottom floor of the parking garage where everyone gets dropped off/picked up. Then you have to walk to the part I circled in red to take the escalator up to the check in area. Once you get inside you'll see the Haven check in area to the left, I think I took a photo of it when we got there. We left out of terminal 3. They'll check you in on their ipads, retake photos if necessary, confirm you're not pregnant or walking on with the poops or cooties, then you go through security scanners. After that, there's someone waiting to escort you to the Haven lounge area. It was a decent size, lots of places to sit and relax if you wanted. No one there when we got there around 2pm I think. So we just looked around then walked on board with an escort that took us to our muster station for a scan of the card and then up to the Haven area. They'll give you a quick tour if you need it, it was our 3rd time on Epic so no need for us. We hit the bar and then off to find our friends. On embarkation day there's NCL crew with an elevator reserved for Haven guests. So once you're on the ship you can go right up to the Haven areas without waiting for an elevator. You have access to Posh, so that's a nice spot to watch sail away from. We got lucky with a launch from SpaceX that day as we were waiting to pull away, so everyone was up there to see the rocket take off.

Just like other things which are free and fun and allow people to win stuff, it will be full for quite some time.

Best entertainment we had that we still talk about to this day was on the Star. Band from the Philippians who had a huge cult following back home called Ice Bucket. They did rock covers from all decades covering things like Bon Jovi, Journey, Toto, Chili Peppers, Beatles, hair bands like Guns & Roses, and all sorts of stuff. They played in the small Bliss lounge and it was packed by the 3rd night when word got around. They moved them to the main theater one night, but we missed that notice and didn't get to see them. They would also play at sail away from ports of call around the main pool deck. But that's what we would love more of - a decent rock band. But one that has some flexibility in what they get to play. In speaking with them before/after shows, they were told a set list of songs to learn that they were told guests wanted to hear - but in talking to guests like us, they were learning otherwise. So corporate isn't always in synch with the demographics of the sailings. Had asked them what they would prefer to play if given the chance, and they said AC/DC. So one night when they were allowed to have a little wiggle room and asked the audience to pick their next song, we loudly yelled out Thunderstruck and they didn't miss a beat. Sure there's folks who want to hear a soft piano playing Sweet Caroline, and that's fine for open areas. But use those smaller venues for more targeted audiences. Not all 3000 guests will want to sit through a short set of 80's metal bands, but the 200 or so of us who do will have a blast filling out those smaller venues leaving more room for everyone else in their own little pockets.

On Prima, Price is Right was full through the end because they rotate the contestants throughout the whole show. Wheel of Fortune was about half full, and when the show stopped/started twice half of those walked out.

The tv situation has changed, at least on Epic. Just got off today, and on other ships or other trips there were always a few movie stations with rotating options by genre, but not on this trip. Just a single "prime tv" station (sometimes children cartoons, sometimes things like The Office), a single "movie" station (Mission Impossible and a bunch of stuff I have never heard of), a single "sports" station, and a half dozen news outlets. That was it.

For us coming from NY, the broadway style shows are nice, but not something we feel are a MUST do as we have access to some top notch stuff at home. We were big fans of Price is Right on Prima, that was a lot of fun, free to participate, and had lots of chances for audience members to be called up and win decent stuff. Wheel of Fortune was a big bust and not worth it at all. If they start advertising the prizes ahead of time, my guess is there will be barely any seats paying for chances to play. And even for those who do, only 3 people total play the entire game. Not sure why they don't rotate the contestants out each round like they did on Price is Right.

Just got off Epic today, and the majority of nights after dinner we retreated to the Haven bar. If we weren't in the Haven, we would have found a different bar on the main decks that had the best offerings and made that our home away from home. Would stay there chatting with friends until 1am, so lots of fun to be made on your own when you're with the right company. Same I had forgotten how bad it is in there at times. The one time we at at O'Sheehans on this recent trip was during some crazy loud activity. Couldn't hear ourselves talk and was not a pleasant experience at all. Made it a one and forever done for us going forward.

Finally home.... what an adventure. Original flight was supposed to board at 6:20, depart at 6:56 and get us home in NY around 9pm. We didn't start boarding until 8:40, didn't get up in the air until 9:30, and landed at 11:45. Took over 30 mins for bags to come out on the carousel, and terminal 5 is a mess at JFK for ride pickups. For a yellow taxi you have to find your way over to the terminal 5 parking lot. For Uber/Lyft you have to take the air train to terminal 7. We started walking in that direction, then saw the signs to get to the TWA hotel. Went that way instead with 3-4 other people to try and get an Uber/Lyft from over there. Took over 15 mins for a driver to take the ride, but he was nice and got us home in ~15 mins (thank you traffic gods, this was my one freebie on the Belt Pkwy for the year). Was able to walk in the door and get puppy kisses just before 1am. Decompressing a bit, getting caught up on emails and such, then headed to bed. Thanks for tagging along through the good and bad.

Oh it got better. Traffic getting into MCO was backed up to the entrance of the road area. For whatever reason terminal B was the issue, so when the driver finally made it all the way to the right we were ok getting passed them. But then our bad mojo continued. He missed the turnoff for departures and had to leave the airport and come back around again. When we finally got inside it was smooth, no lines really for TSA. Flight is currently delayed 1.5 hrs, hoping it doesn't get much worse than that. Stick a fork in us, we're done.

Ok, I apologize vacation gods. Please restore my good karma. Uber to the airport broke down on the highway. He was able to drop us off at an abandoned mall. Couldn't find another Uber to pick us up so had to switch to Lyft. Driver just got here, hopefully in the airport in the next 30 mins. Can't make this stuff up.

Way to suck JetBlue. Not sure how a direct flight to NY will take 23hrs. Probably headed to the airport soon ish just in case we need to find another carrier. Dog sitter is dropping the baby off at home while we should be in the air, so if that changes we have an issue as hubby's sister has lost her spare key to our house and would be the one to take care of the dog if we're truly delayed that much.

This place is popping now, glad we got here early. Food portions are huge.

Made it to the market for some beers and food. https://crookedcan.com/plant-st-market/

The green one is a frozen grasshopper. Creme de menthe (mint), creme de cacao (chocolate), and ice cream base. White with chocolate one is a mudslide, mix of chocolate and Kahlua. Plain white one is a BBC, banana, Bailey's and coconut.

If you can pre book transportation from the port, do it. Surge pricing in effect. Lines to get out were long. Grabbed our bags and flagged down an NCL crew to figure out where to go. They had us cut the line a bit. Birth certificate people went to the left for full processing, passports to the right for facial recognition. Super quick despite the lines. Just got in the Uber now, prices for Lyft were $110+.

For those with little children.... Please for the love of God, do not encourage them to play tag, hide & go seek, or running screaming games in the lounge while waiting to get off the ship. Some of us are trying to enjoy the last bits of peace and quiet, or trying to make last minute arrangements for transportation and can't hear themselves think because of your precious monsters. Playing the game of do we stay where we have a seat or get off now to avoid the headache that is brewing from the screaming. Screaming. Yes, children are loud, but come on parents, at least pretend to be trying to contain them.