complawyer

imho, the ability to have the concierge get us off the ship is worth the price of admission. we have never had to wait more than 5-10 minutes to be escorted off, and taken directly to the baggage claim area. additionally, if you booked a cabin with concierge services, more than likely your luggage is in a specifically designated area, and much easier to locate. for us,it's a great perk. btw, most of the time, this is the only time i use a concierge service

it really depends on what is more important to you. as soon as my wife gets on board, she rushes to the internet cafe to upgrade her minutes. i never have any need to or intention of using any wifi time, so for me any amount of minutes is irrelevant. personally i'd go with the dinners, your son, however might want to keep up with the world so he'd probably want the wifi upgrade. also consider this, depending on his age, he might find other kids his age and start hanging with t hem. if he's a teen, the entourage would be great for him. when my grandson was between 13-18 we signed him up, and only saw him occasionally. as long as he periodically checked in, it was fine

if i had a chance to visit french polynesia, i would take it in a heartbeat!

meanwhile, dont bother to even get off the ship. people who live on key west, "HATE" cruisers and cruise ships. and they make sure the ship doesnt stay for very long. first (and last) time i was there, some guy making those ridiculous hats out of vines, wanted to beat the crap out of me because i was standing on "his" sidewalk

we were in london last year for a few days prior to sailing from southampton. before leaving the u.s., i went on google to find any type of shuttle service from our london hotel to the port. we were also on the gem a few months ago, that went from trieste to rome. the port city is citiavecchia. we had the concierge get us a shuttle to rome which is about an hour away, while it is certainly more expensive, it does do the job. just google shuttle service from southampton pier to lhr,

while ive never sailed rccl, i have over 20 ncl cruises under my belt. if you want a fair comparison, it depends on what you wish to compare. there were less than a handful of times on these 20 cruises where i was disappointed with the food. i maintain, that for itineraries, and prices, ncl gives you much more bang for your buck. ive checked on the rccl cabin prices and i find that in comparison to ncl (ie the cabin size vs. price ) ncl is still an overall better deal. finally, if you stay in a haven suite, it's a totally different world, especially if your ship has a total haven complex. as ive stated before, my needs are minimal. i book for the price and itinerary (ncl seems to have some great exotic places, next december. we're sailing from dubai to mumbai) give me my kindle, a cold bottle if heineken, and ice cold can of pepsi (not COKE for god's sake) to sit on my balcony and watch the world go by, and i'm in hog's heaven

ncl (although they can be accused of many faults) is really good that way. if it's at all doable, the wait staff will find a way to accomodate your veg friend. they go above and beyond the call of duty to help out.

if you're prone to seasickness, and you feel it might be coming on, ask any waiter for a few slices of green apples, and drink some ginger ale. also bring some ginger candy or ginger gum with you, it's a sure fire way to combat seasickness. also, you can get bands for your wrists at any cvs, walgreens or right aid pharmacy, or see your doctor for patches that go behind the ears. the size of the ship has no bearing or relevance on whether or nor someone will get sea sick. if you do get seasick, please try and not let it affect your cruise.

i still feel this is a disaster of biblical proportions (LOL) and nova scotia cruisers, a can of soda (or pop) depending on where you're from, is about $3.00. i am addicted to pepsi, and usually have 3-5 per day. it's more than worth it to me to pay this price.

if all your cabins are haven suites, there should be no problem with either checking in, or getting into your garden suite if they have a key card. if the penthouse is listed as a suite, and not the haven, they will have access to the butler, concierge, designated dining room (ie cagney's or moderno) but will not be allowed access to the haven bar, or pool area, or the haven restaurant. i dont think that the jade has a specific haven restaurant or bar area, but i know it has the separate pool are for haven guests only

there is always a notice (sign) posted when you get off the ship indicating what time the passengers and the crew need to be back on board

it was just a suggestion. 4 people in balcony (or even a club balcony) with only 1 bathroom, can get mighty uncomfortable, especially if you're all trying to get ready at once. also, if one (or more) of you need to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, unless you're really quiet, it could disturb the other sleepers. we've done it a few times when my grandson was younger (he's now 23) and it worked ok. 4 people i think is pushing it. i think booking an ocean view might even be a worse case scenario. if cost is a factor, why don't you try and book 2 adjoining ocean view cabins. this gives all 4 of you breathing room

i know you can get one if youre stayiing in a suite and eating at the haven restaurant or moderno for breakfast. ive had them many times. consequently, i see no reason why you shouldnt be able to get one regardless of the restaurant

macewank. if you intend to stay on the "boat" you'll make the officers very angry. if you decide to stay on the "ship" all will be well

why dont you try the 2 bedroom suite, or one of the larger suites available. there is ample room for 4 people, and inthe 2 bedroom, there is also a separate bathroom and stall shower. the extra bedroom and shower come in mighty handy

vivalv66 well, anyone booking a haven suite, is paying significantly more than those in a club balcony, so the perks are always substantially better. our above-named cruise to alaska was comped so i really couldnt complain regardless of the service or the cabin. fortunately, they were both top notch. we enjoyed the observation lounge, and right outside the buffet an a daily basis, was one of the nicest staff members we have ever met on any of our ncl cruises(22 in all). THIs gentle man was the buffet greater, and he was always smiling and singing. i had to comment that i have never met anyone that took so much pride and joy in his job. i nominated him for hero status. we used our free dining coupons, ate a few meals in the buffet and mdr's, and since we had been to alaska previously, we just got off the ship at sitka and wandered around the dock area, and took the whale watching excursion in ketchikan. i have posted previously that the mere joy of cruising, sitting on our balcony with my kindle and a cold beer in and of itself does it for me.weare booked on the dawn b2b july 27 thru aug 15. london to copenhagen continuing copenhagen to stockholm. the fare for a suite was cost prohibitive, so we booked the club balcony once again. since this is an itinerary i want to take, i'll be more than happy in the club balcony. i guess i can give up the butler and the dedicated restaurant to save a few thousand dollars

we were in a club balcony suite on the bliss to alaska. not bad, not terrific, i agree the stand up stall shower was a nice bonus. otherwise MEH!

i cannot begin to hide my disappointment with ncl. the idea of changing pepsi for coca-cola is devastating. i suppose now, i'll have to switch to heinekin. lol!

dont feel bad, its only inappropriate because it doesnt have a collar

give them a call, and just ask the consultant that answers the phone

no problem, glad to help out a fellow cruiser. let me know if you book a sept sailing. we're on the dawn from the end of july thru mid aug. b2b london to copehagen... copenhagen to stockholm. just in case you decide you want a different change of scenery(pace) im pretty sure if you checked rcl, they'd probably have some cruises also

i did a little more research for you.. (again because im anal) although they are not my cup of tea, carnival has a number of cruises sailing in sept to various destinations in the carribbean. so, i j hope you find a cruise intinerary that you will enjoy. if so, bon voyage!

also, remember that sept is mid hurricane season in the carribbean. being anal, and trying to help answer your question, all ncl ship sailing out of american ports, are going to canada.

sorry, to sexist of a comment!

rocketman275. i imagine it would be ok, but try not to leave your footprints throughout the ship. i guess that would p**s off the crew. also, for the benefit of other diners, please wash your feat before applying the polish by the way, i think we've beaten this thread/topic to death!!!