Birdnutty

I second this. I have a similar issue, and need ice packs. I just bought a refillable ice bag - the old fashioned kind - and can always go to the Garden Cafe and get ice. Reading reviews on the ice bags reveal that it's a good idea to keep Ziplock bags at hand in case there is sweat or leakage issues.

Now I'll have to figure out a way to sneak into the Studio Lounge to get some.

Maybe it's time for us to turn the tide and start entertaining our room attendants with animals that we make up!

uhhhh - yeah, but this is an NCL discussion. RCL is a whole nuther discussion. RCL always had better buffet desserts anyway, IMHO.

Holy moly! Dem's pretty pricey cookies!

Please come back and let us know how you make out. And have a great time on your cruise!

Sorry you’re not buying their story, but it’s what they experienced. Maybe as an newer ship (Prima), they’re still providing the goodies they don’t bother with on the older ships like the Getaway. When my friend said they spoke to the GM and Captain and this is what they were told, I have a tendency to believe it. I will be on the Getaway in a few weeks and will come back with firsthand experience. As an experienced NCL traveler, I can try to work whatever angles I can find. And if I say no cookies (to non-Haven,non-Vibe people) then you can take that to the bank! 😁

Thanks for the giggle! I noticed that last time I was on the Gem, about a year ago, there were no prunes. Really? That's a staple some of us older folks have come to rely on. You could ask for prune juice, I was told. Which put me in a conundrum. I had found my magic formula to be 5 prunes. No more, no less. So, how much juice does it take to equate to 5 real prunes? Too little, and it doesn't work, too much and...well... you know.

Friends of ours just got off the Getaway last week. Balcony cabins, so no Haven experience for them. They said there were no cookies to be found. Anywhere. So they asked (and asked, and asked), and were told by the General Manager, Mario, who was sitting next to Captain Luigi, that it was a corporate decision that there were no cookies available except through room service, (and I would imagine in the Haven.) Could it just be the Getaway, or could this be one more cutback rolled out fleet wide to save $$? What gives with that?

I did a search and was unable to find answers to this questions before I posted. Probably did something wrong. Sorry if I bothered anyone. But thank you for answering my questions anyway.

I realise this is an older thread, but I'm hoping this poster is still active. Ngrund, how did it go? I'm looking to do this myself. It'll save me over $100 if I have a reservation. I'm curious as to the start time... are they rigid about when you get there? Or is the start time a general idea about the EARLIEST you can enter?

I understand that you can pre-pay for parking at the pier for a substantial discount by making a reservation through NYcruise.com. A savings of about $100. Has anyone here done that? They say they offer free cancellation up to the time you're supposed to be parking. Has anyone had to cancel? I'm curious, intrigued and hesitant, all at the same time. Please tell me your experiences.

Wow - so much useful info - thank you! One more question - is the CAS program the same umbrella organisation for all cruise lines? They all seem to call their gambling arm CAS, and each seem to offer discounts. I have a friend who is a substantial gambler and has told me some of her offers, but even she doesn't understand any of the background. Is it the same CAS for all lines, and they pool the info on all your gambling, or is it individually tallied by cruise line? I hope this is understandable - let me know if clarification is needed.

UKStages, may I ask a total newbie question here? I can tell you are a much higher stakes gambler than me, but I usually drop a few hundred in the casino with each cruise, and my upcoming cruise will be my 27th NCL cruise (over the course of 40 years) I never think to call CAS when considering making a booking. Do you think my low level of gambling would get me anything significant? Is one's gambling record cumulative, or only based on your last cruise? Are the offers very time-limited (like, you need to decide in three days), or can you have a chance to do more research? May I assume that since CAS would be doing the booking, there would be no going through a TA to get the perks? Probably a really dumb question, actually. These questions have been on my mind for years. I hope you don't mind answering them for me. TIA!

I’m loving the water carton idea. I’ve been wondering the same thing about heating pads. I frequently need them to quell restless legs.

Unfortunately, my TA (an individual I’ve worked with before, who works for a large online agency , not big box) did not answer my call or email over the course of the day, but for all I know he could be sick. There sure is enough of that going around. The Agency doesn’t work evenings or weekends, so I have to wait till Monday. The fare was unbelievably low, and I was afraid to lose it, so I booked online anyway, figuring I’d take the chance. So glad I did! The fare went up by $400 pp as of this morning! For a one week cruise, that was a substantial amount. and I remembered to take screen shots of everything to have the proof that everything, especially the perks, existed. Got screwed too many times by disappearing info on online sites.

Hi, oh ye wizards. I'm about to take the plunge on booking a cruise online, but am confused about the codes. I usually book cruises within the final payment window, but this one is far enough out for me to be interested in cancellation/refunds/etc. If the coding does not actually say non-refundable, can I assume that it's refundable? I've seen some that were combinable with certain and discounts fares, but not combinable with others... This one says virtually nothing about any of that. Would someone be kind enough to tell me if there are any gotchas in this? Here's the explanation box for the fare code: Rate Code Details - Group 9228274 (TLN ADD USD) GROUP 9228274 - TLN ADD USD PRICE CODE - M1598375 PROMO ID - STANDARD GROUP DESCRIPTION - STANDARD GROUP BASED ON PRICE TYPE - STANDARD OFFERED FROM - 10/17/23 OFFERED UNTIL - 01/14/25 FOR BOOKING TYPE - GROUP BOOKING VALID FOR BOTH CRUISE AND AIR/SEA BOOKINGS GUEST PRICING TYPE CODE - P SINGLE SUPPLEMENT - 200.00% SINGLE SUPPLEMENT NCCF - 200.00% PRICE IS NOT BUNDLED PRICE IS SHOWN ON TICKET PROMOTION IS ALLOWED GUARANTEE STATEROOM IS NOT AVAILABLE NON RESTRICTED N ELIGIBILITY - GUEST 1 Y 2 Y 3 Y 4 Y 5+ N Sgl N Child N Infant N BOOKING CHANNEL RESTRICTION - NO GATEWAY RESTRICTION - NO

There were small boats anchored out, away from shore (and away from our swimming areas) that looked like snorkel boats. I did not see any coming near our beach. The passengers from our ship were delivered by ship's tender. It appears that the beach and immediate waterfront was ours alone. Did not see anything that looked like mainland.

The chairs themselves were free, umbrellas were delivered for a tip.

Agreed. A moving target, mostly invisible. LOL.

Us too! We got a great bargain on a 12 day, which later became a 14 day when the cruises to nowhere were declared illegal. Our first time in Haven, and so far, our last. All though the upsell desk, which was great. (Thanks to CC or I never would have known about it.). Hoping to get it again, although we really can’t afford to bid much higher than the minimum, and we know our chances are low. I would love to see the algorithm they use to determine the winners. Wondering if the Latitudes status plays any part at all.

We received upgrade offers almost immediately upon booking. Sailing is about 7 weeks out. The upgrade offers seem high, and I was wondering - if you don’t bid on the upgrade right away, has anyone ever experienced a change in offer price, either up or down? I’m sure it’s a crapshoot due to the capacity of the ship and how full it is, but I was wondering just how firm the offer is. And has anyone seen one disappear?

To my understanding, it’s possible to dock at Amber Cove, but only if Carnival isn’t using it. It is very confusing they way they post it.

No, it’s not required. We were there last year, and it was handled just like any other cruise port.

Thank you for all your answers! Now, if I can just win the upgrade bid….