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1 hour ago, YVRteacher said:

After my next cruise I will be an Ambassador.

 

Today I received a card from the spa welcoming me on board my inaugural voyage.

 

🙄

 

When you book your spa service make sure you can use the “coupon” on the service you want.  I found out after the fact that a plain mani/pedi didn’t apply.

Hope to be on the Getaway soon.  Is there a microwave in the Buffet for public use?  (Need to heat up a compress or find an alternate treatment.) Thanks!

Hi.  I’ve used the Joy’s Waterfront deck many times for my walks; it’s broken up with the restaurant and bar partitions, but that keeps everyone paying attention.  

The other nice, truly indoor place to walk is the Observation Lounge.  Early and late it is less active and when the weather is especially windy it beats the Waterfront.

We have avoided Cagneys for years - I can do better steak at home - it’s not  “specialty”  at all.

We have made Ocean Blue our first and last night go to dinner and have rarely been disappointed.  The scallops w/pork belly appetizer has been excellent and dh loves the blazing shrimp app.  We generally do grilled fish.  Dh loves the mousse cake and I think the basil sorbet is special.

Le Bistro has been on the up-swing.  We tried the crab wrapped in smoked salmon appetizer and it is lovely.  The lamb chops are wonderful as is the coq au vin and the sea bass.

And lastly we enjoy La Cucina.  I know many people have problems with it but we never have.  I enjoy the grilled salmon w/white beans (and I’m specific with temp i want it cooked to) and the red snapper or chicken cacciatore are good; and the Osso Bucco may be one of best entrees on board.

Sadly no vegan “ice cream” yet, but the sorbets in all the restaurants and the buffet are a sweet, cold treat.  The basil sorbet in Ocean Blue (Getaway) was fabulous!

Can I use the Inspire Antigen test taken 2 days before our 5/8 cruise for my Bermuda TA Form test?

I’m assuming with COVID health changes the Haven on the Joy (sailing 5/8) will NOT have the Pillow Menu available.  Anyone know for sure?

Does anyone know the cost of a non-alcoholic cocktail from the bars?  DH and I will be on the Joy in a couple of weeks and I am a recent No Alcohol cruiser.  Thanks!  😀

On the Feb 27th Getaway out of NYC Thermal Suite pass was $199 for the week.  I don’t know if they sold one-day passes, but given how empty the ship was it wouldn’t surprise me.  

You need to carry it with you to check-in instead of checking it through with the porters when you arrive at the pier.

In NYC we check our suitcases and then head up to the check-in floor, go thru security screening/scanning where they will see the bottles in our small rolling bag we use for cosmetics, medicines, incidentals — and wine.  Security will diret you to the table NCL has set up for wine corkage processing.

I tell them how many bottles we have, show them the bottles, they write up a charge ticket with our cabin number, put the sticker on each bottle.  Done in less than 5 minutes.

The charge usually shows up as being from one of the Main Dining Rooms.

Oh, packing.  I’ve wrapped them in bubble wrap occassionally, but t-shirts or other clothing seems to work just as well.  The wine isn’t going into the mass of checked luggage, I’m taking care of it, so special packing isn’t crucial.

Hope you enjoy your cruise - and Cheers!

18 hours ago, alohagirl808 said:

1.  Best foods/must haves in the specialty restaurants - Cagneys, Le Bistro, La Cucina?

2.  Best foods/must haves in the free restaurants- dining rooms, buffet, Osheehans, etc.?

3.  Do I need to bring cash for the casino?  Do they put winnings on the room card like Carnival?

4.  Do we need to bring life vests with us to muster drill?  How do I know where The muster drill is at?

5.  We have UBP- can I just head straight to a bar to get a drink or do I need to do something first?

6.  When do I sign kids up for the kids club?

Any other helpful tips?  Thanks in advance!

Oh, we love the Jade, altho it's been 9 years since we sailed on her; also a Med vacation.  Fond memories.

1)  I think you're going to have to do a "Jade" search for restaurant must haves.  I love Le Bistro and Bayamo on Escape, but have no idea if the quality is the same on the Jade.  Our favorite restaurant on Jade was Jasmine Garden, which I understand is complimentary now.  That plus Teppanyaki and the sushi bar were our top choices.

2) I like the Garden cafe for breakfast - the eggs stations make omelets to order.  Love it.  O'Sheehans used to have a wonderful corned beef on rye sandwich, good wings, and a great pound cake with strawberry topping.

3) never been to the casino

4) Your room card will have your muster station noted on it.  When the drill starts there will be crew at all the stairwells and every floor directing you.  And no life vests anymore.

5) Once you have your key card - and are on the ship - you are good to go.  Thats all you need to purchase anything on board. (And Jamie's right about the local tax while in port.)

6) When you board you'll get a Daily with info about when the Kid's Club is open for sign-up, touring, etc.  They will likely be open several times day 1.

Have a great trip!

On 4/19/2019 at 5:50 PM, Blanc1g said:

Thank you all for your input, but my question is more about activities. My mother can walk just fine following knee surgery. Although for extensive walking at ports, we may consider a scooter. Thanks for that suggestion. But the point of my inquiry is...If you think the ship has a variety of activities that she can enjoy as well as the kids and the rest of the traveling adults?

I've been cruising for many years and finally decided that if you go into it thinking you're going to have fun, then you do.  Specifically to your question - there is an astonishing variety of activities on the Breakaway (we took her 7 or 8 times out of NYC); she's a wonderful ship.

There's usually 2 different recent release movies each day on one of the big screens (Atrium or Spice H2O), the typical silly poolside games, music everywhere, trivia games, charades, kids club events and games, demos (ice carving, towel folding, sushi, vegetable carving...), lectures on a wide variety of subjects, the rock wall, ropes course, sports court, shuffleboard, bocce ball, ping pong, mini-golf, bowling, health lectures, children's water park, water slides, game shows, family (and adult) karaoke, comedians, magicians (sometimes), Dueling Piano sing along (Howl at the Moon), fitness classes, dance lessons, arts and crafts, painting classes...  

I hope you have a wonderful time one and all! 

My notes from the check-in site (May 5 sailing) say After Midnight is Tues and Fri, 7:30 and 10.  They don’t give days for Choir of Man.

DH and I took took the BA out of NY 7 times during its years home ported there. I got the Spa Pass every time, the spa is my “excursion”.  The BA Spa has a small coff, tea, ice water “bar” as you enter, then loungers and heated loungers stretching from startboard to port. There’s a large “therapy pool” with jets along the side at intervals, a waterfall in the center.  There’s a jacuzzi on one side of the pool and a cut out section of the pool with massive jet/bubble action on the other side.  

Then stretching back toward the port side there’s a sauna, a steam room, a salt room and a scented steam room (great for opening up sinuses).  It’s a lovely area; quiet, relaxing even when crowded.  I hope you enjoy it.

So, i am dairy allergic; dh and i have cruised alot on NCL (and elsewhere).  I do not go the special needs desk route, since I don’t want to select my food a day + in advance and I’m fairly knowledgeable about what does/doesn’t typically have problems.  

That said I let my waitperson know my allergy, what causes problems and what doesn’t (for some reason many people assume dairy allergy = eggs).  We discuss what I would like to order and she/he checks with the kitchen and if necessary I change my order.  This has worked for me - I’ve never had a problem.

DH and i were on Escape last fall. In order of preference:  1)  Pinchos was a wonderful surprise; the small plates were flavorful, enticing, a pleasure  (and surprised it was empty both nights we dined there).  2) Bayamo (Ocean Blu) was very good, excellent service, everything we ate was high quality.  3) Moderno, Le Bistro and La Cucina were all good to very good, in no way disappointing - good food, good service. We had dinner one night at the Supper Club - it was acceptable, in no way memorable, but the show (The Choir of Men) was why we were there and it was fantastic.

Jamie - i’ve cruised the Breakaway 8 times or so, Escape once and had a Spa Pass each time. It is the ideal way to find quiet on a very large ship.  There’s gentle “music” playing, water splashing and quiet conversations, but the atmosphere is restful.  If that’s what you want, then go for it.  [Alternate view: my dh thinks the spa would drive him crazy. He wants to be out, about, doing Every minute of the day.  If that’s your style - the Spa may not be for you.]

DH and I have sailed the Breakaway seven times; we try to dine at Ocean Blue twice each cruise (first night and last, if possible). It is the best total dining experience on the ship, IMO. The service is exemplary, the setting lovely and the food is excellent. There is attention to detail that is not always the case elsewhere, along with a clear desire to make our dinner experience happy and memorable.

There are many dishes I would recommend but food preferences are so individual. Ocean Blue is well-worth a trip.

I hope you have a great cruise wherever you dine!

As an early 60's cruiser, I find that I live in my swim suit, t-shirts and exercise pants/yoga pants during the days onboard and shorts/capris + top of the day when ashore in the Caribbean (often with a swim suit, if excursion dictates).

One of the joys of NCL is not having to dress up for dinner if you don't want to/your mom doesn't want to. That being said if you want to go to Ocean Blue or Le Bistro and dress up a bit, one or two nice shirts and a dressy pair of shoes (flats if she prefers) would be great.

I like the Lands End idea, the fitting tool is spot on. There still may be summer sales online for something dressy.

I hope you both have a wonderful vacation.

Yes, as noted $15 per bottle.

As you exit the elevators at Manhattan Cruise Terminal you see airport style screening. When they see the bottle(s) in your screened luggage, they then direct you to the NCL crew member at a desk on the left just beyond the screening area. He (it's always been a "he" for us) will charge the fee to your cabin - it will appear on your final room bill as a Manhattan Room charge.

Enjoy!

DH and I are Platinum also and leave from NYC once or twice a year. "Priority Boarding" means you're in one of the first few boarding groups called (after Haven boarding). The last time they also corralled us in a designated area, but I don't have enough data points to know if that was an exception or now the rule.

Anyone know the current day and week rate for the thermal spa? Looks amazing! I read in a blog post that day passes are subject to availability and only available on port days - is this true?

I'm not sure about the daily rate, I always get the week-long pass before we leave. $199 for the weekly pass if you buy it ahead of time (call NCL) or $219 if you buy it onboard. The number of passes is limited. And, yes, day passes are only available on port days. And, yes, the spa is amazing - quiet, not over-run with people, relaxing pools, saunas - a slice of peace.

It looks like the rest of your questions have been well answered above. I hope you have a great trip and enjoy Bermuda.

Welcome to NCL luckybecky! I hope you have a wonderful trip. DH and I have been cruising since 1993, predominantly with NCL (we love informality and free style dining), but we have tried other lines when timing and itinerary work best.

No formal nights. I know you can still dress up if you choose, but what do most people do? Keep it casual, or plan for some dress up evenings? "Most people" depends a little on the itinerary. All Alaska cruises seem much less formal. A 7-night cruise will typically have 2 "Dress Up or Not" nights. I usually see 1/4 - 1/3 of the passengers dressed up. Whether you decide to or not is really up to you and the kind of cruise experience you want to have. Either way is fine.

No set time dining. Do most of you think this is a good thing? Or do you miss the opportunity to have the same servers who learn your preferences? Having tried dining both ways, I prefer the "no set times". Its closer to how we live at home - if I want to stay late in the spa, I can (don't have to rush to make a 6 pm seating). I have enjoyed having the same servers on more traditional lines, but I haven't missed it enough to outweigh the "dine when/where I want" advantages of free style.

What is this "bidding" thing I see when it comes to upgrade offers? On other cruise lines, I just get an offer, with a price. I can take it or leave it. Does it work differently with NCL? You have to BID? DH and I haven't tried the bidding process yet. We book the cabin we want. NCL used to do the Offer/set price/accept or reject thing and changed to this - maybe its the new management.

I saw someone make a reference to reserving seats at a show. How does this work? I've been on a few cruises now and never had to reserve any shows in advance. Do you get specific seat assignments? How do you reserve shows, and how far in advance can you do this? Several months out some of the entertainment will be available for advance reservations (not specific seats, it's general seating) on the My NCL site where you complete your eDocs, etc. If any of them interest you, pick a day/time and reserve a seat. I typically keep a screenshot of the confirmation, but haven't ever had a problem with them losing it. If you prefer to wait until the day of the show to go (definitely more free style like than reservations), the screener at the door will ask you to wait until 15 minutes before show time, then if there are "No Shows" they admit anyone waiting. I've never been left out.

Laundry: there is no guest laundry? We will be travelling for a minimum of 14-15 days, so lots of dirty laundry. Is there any option to the very expensive "per piece" laundry charge that is common in hotels and cruise ships? Sadly, there is no guest laundry. Dh and I bring some items that we handwash and enough for half the week, then do the Laundry Special NCL has a mid-point. It's a flat fee and we usually get a couple pair of pants, a couple shirts, t-shirts and all our underclothes in one bag. The most annoying thing is the small, hard identifier tags they put on each item. Pulling them off socks is tough.

Lastly, our cruise is not showing any shore excursions available this far out. When are these usually made available for booking? Sorry, I can't answer this as we don't book that far out. I'll call my NCL cruise consultant and ask her and post an update/edit.

If you are leaving from NYC, immediately after the security screening, the wine table is on the left. In the 10-12 times we've cruised from NY with wine, we've always been directed to the corkage table by the screeners and its always been staffed. It's quick and they are pleasant (a ship employee).

Hope you have a fun time and the weather is perfect!

DH and I have been in the Haven a few times and used the concierge. We're both platinum and have tried to use the concierge when not in the Haven to make dinner reservations. Once, we never heard back from the concierge. On another try, they did return our call, but only to tell us they couldn't help us. :rolleyes::rolleyes:So, we've stopped trying - it's not a real "reward".