Alynna715

We tried to move a cruise. 1st date was 1 day past the 90 days and they wouldn't move it. 2nd cruise was 3k less then our original cruise and the MSC said we would have to pay the price of the original cruise. My exact quote on the phone "You are telling me I have to pay $3k more for this cruise because I am moving a cruise than if I just cancelled and rebooked"  we decided to cancel. We may not rebook.  Their customer service on the phone is terrible. 

We had a bid accepted once on a sold out cruise pre Covid. It was for an accessible room. They reserve those rooms to the very end waiting in case someone books one. They accepted our bid 5 days before the cruise. 

We love playing trivia games. 

We started cruising with Norwegian when our twins were 5. We had cruised other lines before children.  We think Norwegian is family friendly and will probably remain loyal. We really love the Splash Academy. They do crafts, games, parades, athletic activities. Our kids love the "evening activities" and that gives us time to have some date nights. The staff is really amazing with our children and have made some magical memories for us.  Even with the dining package at the specialty restaurant kids can order off the "main dining kids menu"

We are a family of 4 and have spent time playing games in Haven game room as well as Jewel Class game rooms. If you love scrabble throw it in a gallon ziplock bag and put it in your suitcase. Many of the games on ships are missing pieces and it can be annoying. We always bring a few card games we really love to play and not risk what they have. We also love to put on our pajamas and get ice cream from the buffet and play cards before bed. 

I am glad they cancelled before we booked flights. This gives us plenty of time to book something else. 

Yes. We were booked on the June 15th and the next cruise after that. So far nothing about the second cruise but we are not hopeful. If it is not cancelled we will probably cancel out of fear of a last minute cancelation. 

I wouldn't worry about proving you are a single parent. Once she has a passport and you have that passport it won't be a problem. My husband and I travel with our twins and often one of us will take one child on individual adventures. 

What ship will you be traveling on? Different ships have very different amenities. Here are some of my ideas.

There is live music throughout the day. Sometimes in lounges or bars, sometimes on deck. Take her to hear the live music. It is not a concert setting so she doesn't need to be quiet. 

One of our favorite places to hang out when on cruises is the Spinnaker Bar. There is usually some activity going on all day. Dance classes, trivia, games. Then our kids were little they enjoyed just sitting with us and experiencing the activity. It also has amazing ocean views. 

There are game rooms on the ships. We would go and play Uno in the game rooms. 

On ships that have "The Great Outdoors" My kids enjoyed sitting there for a snack. 

Some ships also have a bridge viewing room. That is fun to see. 

My children also enjoyed walking the ship. We would walk the decks, see the common areas. We would spend time sitting outside and looking at the water. 

For cruises we would bring their iPads, a few coloring and activity books, a few toys. 

There is always something going on while you are on the ship. Even if she can't participate in every activity  she can at least be there and experience the excitement of everyone around her. 

lettuce and salad fixings, meat, cheese, sushi, breads, pre-made salads, soup. It is not a huge selection but several nice selections. an upgrade from what you would see at the buffet. 

The meat comes out on a stick and they shave it off at your table. Some of the steak items you can choose a piece more well done  but it is not like a traditional steak house. 

If you are not super picky it is a really fun experience. My 9 year olds, my husband and I have gone several times and we have had a great experience every time. 

We have sailed on both and loved both ships. I would do either one again. 

Remember when everyone was freaking out about not having straws anymore. 

I booked a Haven. Help me squeeze everything I can out of the experience by demanding outrageous things. 

We did the Joy last summer and have another cruise planned next June (hopefully) We did both LeBistro and Ocean Blue. Both were great but we liked Ocean Blue more. We loved the observation deck. I also loved the waterfront. The shows were great and we had a fantastic time. 

It really depends what you are looking for. There is ALWAYS a wait for the elevators. We found the aft elevators better so we would walk the whole length of the ship to take the aft elevator to avoid the crowd. The ship is huge but feels more crowded then other ships we have been on. There are so many places to eat and things to do. It is a great ship. 

Our Butler made paper airplanes for the kids. 

I like to get up long before my family, go out on the balcony and watch the sunrise. 

We just returned a few days ago and did the pool Cabana. We have 7 year old twins. They can swim but do better in the pool. The cabanas are very close to the bathroom.  The wait staff came by every 30 minutes to check on us. We ordered food and drinks all day. We went down to the beach area for a little while and it was fine but it is not powder soft sand and after a 30 minutes they wanted to go back to the pool. We thought about the beach cabanas but I think we made the right choice for us. 

We were just there last week. We were the only ship in port and there were tons of free umbrellas both at the beach and at the pool. We rented one of the pricey cabanas but we could have had our pick of umbrellas or shaded areas. 

My husband also requires a CPAP. This will be our third cruise with Norwegian. We have been told we need to use their extension cord. We call about a month in advance to let them know we will be bringing it and they bring a gallon of distilled water and the cord to our room the first evening. Other people on the forum claim they have brought their own extension cord and used it. 

A note about CPAP machines. I was told never to pack them in the suitcase but to carry them on the ship. The large bins that they put luggage in can put extreme pressure on your suitcase and can damage the machine. We sorry the marching on the ship as a carry on. 

We have sailed Alaska with an Oceanview and a Balcony. If it is in your budget go for the balcony but if not there are lots of places you can be outside that will be empty since it is so cold. The Joy also has the observation deck so you can get by without it. I personally love sitting out on the balcony day and night. I don't care if I need to be wearing my coat. I would go out for little bits of time. There always seems to be something to look at. 

I also found with the sun rising so early I naturally woke up early. 

It was pretty good. Probably not worth using a dining credit. The lobster roll was very good. 

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

To clarify, Ocean Blue does not have an upcharge. 

When we booked there was a $12 charge. I guess that has changed. 

If you book a restaurant online that has an uncharge like Ocean Blue they charge you to make the reservation for the kids but then refund your money for the kids when you arrive for the reservation. 

I just made mine for my Christmas Cruise today. 120 days. If you care about dining times or possibly missing a speciality restaurant then book as close to 120 days as you can. 

On our last cruise there was a family in the Haven who consistently brought a non Haven family into the pool area, outside deck and observation lounge. She was so bold I even saw her  use the other woman's room key to order 3 drinks and food at the Haven bar. I think she was so bold the staff thought the other family was in the Haven 

We sailed Haven on the Joy this summer.  Here are the reasons it was worth it to us and I would do it again

1) Observation Lounge always had a seat and a nice snack. 

2) Kids and I had access to the indoor pool. They swam every day

3) When we did the glacier viewing we went onto the Haven Deck and had prime viewing and pictures. After we were tired of looking at the glacier we are at the Haven restaurant and still had a view of the glacier

4) After a cold and rainy day on excursions we had priority boarding back onto the ship

5) The restaurant never had a wait

6) On the nice days the adult only section had cabanas with blankets.