JandC_Cruising

@expectthebestThe Bermuda run is fanastic.  Did it on the Joy in June 2022 with our grown (20's) kids and had a blast!  (Also in 2019 on the Escape).

The Joy is a great ship.  The boys will love the race track.  The refurbishing is adding a thermal spa (which NCL has great ones on their other ship) and yes, stealing some space from the Observation lounge.  IMHO, unless the weather is bad, the OL is not a big deal on warm weather cruises)

The days docked in Bermuda are wonderful since you are free to come and go as you please throughout the stay.

Getting around the island is very easy with either shared vans, private taxis, or ferries.  Definitely take the NCL Ferry to St. George's for a day out on that end of the island.  (Tobacco bay beach on that end is a small beach)

There is a shared van (when filled it goes) to Horseshoe Bay.  Very simple and efficient.  If you want chairs and umbrellas, just bring some cash.  We always just brought beach towels and sat on sand.  

There is a great (although expensive) excursion called "hidden gems" that takes you on a hike through the woods, and through sections of the Bermuda caves including swimming in a cave  cliff (small) jumping, lunch, and some snorkeling.  This is different than just going to the public "crystal caves".  "Active Boys" will love that.  

Also there are 1/2 dozen or more snorkel excursions and as someone mentioned fun Jetski tours available right on the dock by the ship.  

Wednesday nights in Hamilton is their little street festival; a mix of entertainment, street vendors, and street foods.  Again, the kids would probably enjoy the scene. 

All in all, there is tons to do in Bermuda and being there for three days with a floating hotel is a wonderful vacation!

2 minutes ago, vacation44 said:

 

Thanks for the correction---I meant starboard side but wrote port side!

LOL...I often make the same mistake, but typically that's after spending way too much of the day drinking in the Vibe! :🤪

The vibe on the Getaway has a double hot tube that is covered on the starboard side of the ship.  These do not cantilever off the side like they do on the Plus ships.

The port side of the vibe (since it's been expanded) just has loungers.

We always give our bags to the porters outside and simply each carry a backpack with essentials (including swimsuits and lotion) to enjoy the 1st afternoon on-ship.  

We have no desire to drag our bags all over creation or even look to find a place to store them while we wait for our room. 

In all our cruises we've never waited past 5pm for our bags and never needed anything until showering and changing for dinner the first night.

1 minute ago, phillygwm said:

I'm usually at the $50 table and, at least on the Joy, that was continuous shuffle as of 2 weeks ago.  

That stinks....I hate continuous shuffle and the $50 table on the Joy in March (It was next to the craps table) was 8-deck hand shuffle.

I understand NCL's motivation to speed up play (and their revenues) but it was nice having at least one table as an option.

51 minutes ago, phillygwm said:

Depends on the time.  Generally $10-15.  ALL tables, except in the high limit room ($100+) were continuous shuffle tables on the Joy.  Not sure about elsewhere.

The last three cruises (all this year) on Encore, Joy, and Getaway all had ONE table in the main casino area that was $50 minimum with an 8-deck hand shuffle.  

Other than that one table, all others were continuous shuffle and either $15 min (a few) or $25 min

12 minutes ago, FredZiffle said:

Which would be fine since it's refundable OBC.  I'd then turn around and rebook using my non-refundable, which is always used up first before refundable.

The issue with this "strategy" is that if the excursion is sold out they will not let you cancel and immediately re-book if there is a waiting list for open spots, which often there are.  

If you cancel, your spot(s) will be offered to the first on the waiting list.

And, as others mentioned, then you have even more OBC. 

If there is an excursion you want to be sure you take, best to book it ahead to ensure your spot.  

First off, as is mentioned often, you do need to be prepared to get a cabin "anywhere" on the ship if you win a bid.  This may, or may not be an issue to you.  Only you can decide that.

If you are particular about where you are on the ship (mid-ship, particular floor or range of floors, etc.) they do not bid as you may end up with a club balcony on a floor/location you are not happy with.

All that said, we very much like the Club Balcony's for the larger bathroom.  We enjoyed a club balcony on the Getaway this summer.  It was a wonderful cabin.  But we picked the cabin and knew exactly what was to the left, right, above, and below....Winning a bid doesn't give you that control.

9 minutes ago, happy cruzer said:

Are there reports of the wine being confiscated? Or do they just charge the corkage fee?  I would bet there are folks who fly into the cruise with wine in their checked bag that don't have a clue that they should have put it in the carry on bag or others who just don't know the policy.  Seems like NCL would just collect the corkage fee.

They will not open your bags and count your bottles without you being present.  Once they count they will charge the corkage fee to your on-board account (if you do not have a drinks package) and let you go on your merry way with your luggage and wines.

They will only confiscate the wine if you request them to hold the bottles until the end of the cruise.  For example, if you were traveling through Italy pre cruise and purchased some wines to bring home, and didn't wish to consume them on the ship, they will confiscate them and hold until the last day of the cruise (Just as they do when you buy a bottle of Rum in the Caribbean).

38 minutes ago, Healthmark said:

I hope your information is incorrect........I'm booked on an April 7th cruise on the Getaway.😉

Yep...She's scheduled to cruise out of NY through April '24 .

She heads back to Europe on April 29, 2024 (NYC to Southampton).

1 hour ago, phillygwm said:

But I still saw the pricing on  cruises through 3/24.  So is the designation removed after that?  Any word on what those balconies become (or what happens to pax who already booked them?)

Here is the thread that I started months ago when we first noticed that all the Spa Cabins were sold out for 2024 and beyond.  

Just yesterday, those of us who made reservations earlier this year for 2024 and later in Spa Cabins received the official letter notifying us of the re-classification and ensuring that our reservation would still include access to the Thermal Spa....

However, as mentioned, moving forward, there will be no "Spa Cabins" in any category according to the letter.

1 hour ago, schmoopie17 said:

What's a "secondary land package"?? (Third bullet point),

Some cruises have post cruise land vacations options (like adding a land tour through Alaska at the end of the cruise for multiple days).  

But i don't know why they say "must be selected".

On 8/23/2023 at 6:59 AM, molymoo said:

Not sure I understand this response.  Apparently you have some issues with Viking in general ... "every egregious" policy seems to indicate that the problems go well beyond their "pay in full by" one.  I am a loyal Viking cruiser (21 and counting) and understand why some might not like their payment schedule policy, but understand that this is the way it is and if I wasn't okay with it I would take my business elsewhere.  I am not "defending" this policy ... it's just not an issue for me.  We pay in full when we book ... that works for us and so the payment schedule isn't an issue.  It's as simple as that.  

We just decided to book a December 2026 Egypt cruise on Viking yesterday and was shocked to see an October 31, 2024 final payment date! Rather than jumping in, we put a 72hr hold on it and then called to make sure it was correct.  They said yes. 

We are planning to do pre and post add-ons to the cruise which adds another 10K to the total.  Do you know if those can be added on at a later date?   I'd rather not pay all $30K so early but would be fine paying 20K in Oct '24 and adding the other add-on's sometime in 2025 and paying those at that time.

Since you've done quite a bit on Viking do you have any thoughts/experience on adding things after?  Thanks..

4 hours ago, akeka said:

Hi, I'll be traveling on the Getaway next month with a large group and we'll be taking some of the NCL excursions.  Do we need to check in together for bus-specific stickers or are you assigned to specific bus when loading?

Last month on the Getaway, the tickets indicated the meeting place and time (Theatre, MDR, Illusionarium...)  Once at the meeting place, they will ask that one person from your group hold all the tickets and check-in for the bus # stickers for the whole group.  That way they ensure everyone is on the same bus.  Pretty simple.  The trickiest part is if you have someone in your group that is running late and you don't have their ticket...saw that happen to a few disorganized (hungover?) passenger groups😆

7 hours ago, kribar said:

Cagney's steakhouse or the teppanyaki??  Thank you!!

If choosing between those two specifically,, Teppanyaki for the combination of good food and a fun show.  We had a great meal and time at Teppanyaki a few weeks ago on the Getaway.

Frankly, we haven't been thrilled with Cagney's on our past several visits.  It has lost its place in our rotation.  We put Le Bistro and Ocean Blue as our top meals and then rotate among others depending upon the ship.

9 hours ago, MiniJeffrey said:

 

Was it available everywhere, like at poolbars too?

The Pommery Rose was everywhere that we asked for it, including the Vibe.  Didn't go to the main pool bar.  It was at all the bars on decks 6,7,8 as we could tell (Sunset, Prime Meridian, Mixx, Bar 21, etc.) and on every restaurant wine list.

15 minutes ago, sjacobs11 said:

What is the latest champagne they're offering? I read somewhere that it was now their own NCL brand.

Just off the Getaway earlier this month.  The Premium Plus Champagne available throughout the ship was the Pommery Brut Rose.  It was pretty good and we had several glasses throughout the cruise.  Le Bistro was offering Veuve Clicquot by the glass, but that was the only place we found it available and we enjoyed that with our starters that evening.

@PhillyTravelBug We are loving your review!  We are doing this cruise (in reverse) in 2025.   How have the seas been as you've traversed from Iceland to Norway?  

2 minutes ago, dbrown84 said:

 

HEY....first, I didn't even respond to your post and I was in no way trying to insinuate that you were wrong.  I was just offering another data point for those of us that never knew this was a problem/issue.  So no need to yell, it's not that important.  Enjoy the rest of your weekend 

Sorry if you thought I was yelling 😀 that was not my intention...I was stressing that "often" the system blocks the 2nd night booking..."but" there is a solution if one is blocked...

1 minute ago, dbrown84 said:

I never knew/read that this wasn't allowed.  I just tried on my upcoming cruise on the Pearl, and it did let me add a 2nd reservation to Cagney's, so I'm guessing it is hit or miss.  I also have the ability to make a reservation to the MDR, which I had never noticed before that you can do.

making reservations for multiple nights at the same restaurant IS allowed, but the point of my original comment is that OFTEN (as was our case and and several others above) the online system may block you from doing it.  BUT it is easily solved (as we did) by calling or chatting online and asking an NCL rep to add the reservation.

11 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

How many reservations may be made prior to boarding?

Are you limited to the two from Free at Sea or can you make more if you've booked for more such as Free at Sea Plus?

There are a few "tricks" to pre-booking reservations.

1.  Book your "Fixed Price" reservations first (Teppanyaki or Moderno) so that it uses your F@S certificate.  Otherwise it will try to pre-charge you the fixed rate if you already booked other dinners.

2.  Online booking will only allow you to book the same restaurant ONCE.  You can call and get another night booking for the same specialty restaurant, but for example the system will not allow you to book Ocean Blue for a 2nd night.  Call (or use online chat) and an agent can do it if you like.

3.  You can book as many Specialty meals as you wish - even if you only have 2 free meals.  Just keep in mind the first two rules mentioned above.

4.  The system doesn't care or need to know who is dining with you.  So if you need a table for 4, just book it.  The host will ask how each of you are paying for the meal when you get to the restaurant.

5.  The system only has tables for 2, 4, 8...(even numbers).  So if you need a table for 1, 3, 5...Just round up to the nearest even number.  Again, the host will adjust the number when you arrive.

45 minutes ago, Smitheroo said:

Also, when arranged through NCL does the Air Fare  promo include allowed luggage ?  I'm thinking probably not.

In short, NCL does not cover any baggage fees with their air booking.   The baggage policy will be dictated by the air carrier you get put on. 

If the airline charges baggage fees, then you will need to pay them, unless you have status on that airline or some other benefit that affords you free baggage on that specific airline. 

For example, when we get NCL air and get placed on United, we get free luggage due to our United Status.

When they gave us a Delta flight, we had to pay for luggage as we don't personally have any status on Delta.

When they've put us on Southwest, there was no fees since Southwest doesn't charge baggage fees for anyone.

10 hours ago, AprilH97 said:

Planning trip on getaway haven suite with my grandparents, as they would actually prefer chinese food from Shanghai noodle bar and I read the reviews there are long wait for it during dinner time.

 

I know that you can order anything from main dining room ahead for the Haven restaurant. 

 

Is it possible to pre-order with Haven restaurant for the Shanghai Noodle bar on getaway?

Just off the Getaway last week.  To get a seat at the Noodle bar we had to wait in a line starting at 4:30pm and we (2) got the last 2 seats in the first round of seating.  After that, they handed out pagers until they ran out of pagers.  We were sitting in the two seats next to the host's desk.  One family in line got to the front and was told a 90 minute wait.  They asked "even if we are in the Haven" and then host handed them a menu and told them to go back upstairs and have their butler serve them the meal in their suite.  That's what they did!

17 hours ago, leithbones said:

15 day caribbean from NY, Getaway, Nov 2023.  Angled Balcony.

Weighing upgrade bid to Haven variants (we've never been, Min = $600pp)

vs.

Vibe @ $290pp

Only 1 new port of 10 for us, so we may stay aboard more frequently than in the past.

I've scoured Vibe threads and Haven threads.

Thoughts on comparisons for those who have done both?

Just got off the Getaway...we had a Spa Club Balcony and bought the Vibe pass.  After debating the same issues as you, we "pulled" our Haven bids a month before the cruise because we realized we had the best room with all the perks (spa, vibe, extra meals, etc.) that we needed.  This is the best approach on the Getaway.  The Getaway Haven is small.  If you are looking for an adult "sun deck", the Vibe is a better choice on that ship.   The Getaway Vibe is huge and was great for the days we had nice weather.  The Getaway Haven restaurant is small and doesn't have an outdoor space.  They setup tables in the courtyard to service everyone.  In short, I would not recommend the Haven on the Getaway if you are planning on spending time on-board and lounging. 

We just got off the Getaway last Tuesday (Lisbon to Southampton) with stops in Vigo, La Coruna, and Bilboa Spain.  We were charge 10% tax on every drink throughout those 3 days in Spanish waters, regardless of being in-port or on sea in the evenings.  We had the Premium Plus package and the taxes totaled $56.60.

Once we were out of Spanish waters, we didn't get charged any taxes on any other drinks through the cruise.