gizfish

This was last September,and the ship was full.

We arrived around that time and had no problem getting a reasonably good parking spot. We breezed right through security and had a minimal line for check in.

Compared to other cruise lines, they had the best desserts. Even at the buffet, the desserts looked kinda plain but were phenomenal. Also, the coffee at the buffet was the best I have ever had on a cruise ship. Same goes for the soft serve ice cream available at limited times by the pool. It was Carvel (for you East coasters) quality. The cabin size was also larger than others. Our balcony cabin sofa could have easily sat four. However, the cabin storage was lacking.

When you upgrade, either by paying, getting an upgrade due to price change, or winning a bid you receive all the perks that come with the new cabin category. So you will get the wine treats, etc. However, best you initially had with any free at sea promo may change depending on how the upgrade was done. Since your upgrade was due to a price decrease, you should be keeping whatever promo you initially selected. The issue with being under the pool deck has nothing to do with a party cruise. The issue is the noise from people dragging chairs around. This is especially annoying when crew puts the chairs away later at night and sets them up in the wee hours of the morning. It's not drunk people making noise in and by the pool that's the problem.

The flavored waters available at the buffet drink stations are artificially sweetened and available in kiwi/strawberry and mango/peach. The iced tea is unsweetened.

We were able to use the app to make reservations once on board.

Whatever you decide to do, it's a good idea to keep a picture of each of your prescriptions on your phone in general, as it's very hard to remember it all in any emergency. Having your medication in the original bottles will not likely cause any reputable health facility in any country to allow you to take your own meds as this would be quite a liability.

No news is no news. Maybe you will end up in a higher category. Maybe they will bump someone out of an interior to a higher category and put you in their now available cabin. The upgrade advantage program is not administered by NCL, and it's algorithm hasn't been definitively figured out. So, the chances you will be assigned to a cabin before getting on the ship is 100%. Other than that, unfortunately there is no predicting anything else.

Try calling NCL to book the dining reservations since there are so many of you. The odds of everyone in your group managing to get the same date and time by booking themselves are not good. Also, I am guessing you all wanted to sit with each other. There are no tables for 16, but you can reserve a combination of tables so some of you are together.

Actually there shouldn't be a surcharge for additional entrees in a cruise ship MDR, but that's another topic lol. In my over 30 cruises across almost all mainstream cruise lines, ordering a pasta as a starter (meaning you would like a starter size portion) is something I have often done with absolutely no questions asked. In Italian restaurants in America (and also on some cruise menus), it's quite common for the menu to say any pasta can be ordered as a starter size. I am not saying I expect MSC to give me a dinner size portion of pasta without the fee. I am simply asking for the pasta as an appetizer. If the kitchen chooses to bring me a full size portion, that is not my issue.

The consensus here and also from personal experience is that the person who had the waiter say no to the starter was not having the usual experience. It's part of Italian culture to have a small pasta as a separate course. If the kitchen decides to give a regular size portion even though the starter was requested, that's not the diners problem. Personally I would have requested to speak with the waters supervisor since the request was not out of the ordinary and it seems the waiter was misinformed or just didn't want to get the extra plate.

You get a discount in the stores on embarkation day. I believe it is $10 off $50, but I'm not sure.

On U.S sailings the menu says there is a $5 charge for second or more entrees. Not sure of the exact wording, and no one here has verified if it's $5 for each entree after first or a one time $5 for anything after first. You can order the pasta or risotto, and presumably the salad that is offered as an entree as a starter in addition to your entree without incurring the charge. Same is true for any of the pastas that are in the always available section of the menu. Experience has been that ordering as a starter still results in a full portion size.b

If you win a bid to Aurea or YC you will get everything that goes with that experience level. If there are any cabins in undesirable areas within the experience you are bidding to upgrade to, there is absolutely a chance you may be assigned one. And once your bid is accepted, you will be stuck with whatever cabin they have assigned to you. So you should look at the deck plans to be sure there are no cabins in areas that would be a deal breaker. You can't rely on only looking at available cabins since that can change.

Technically the flavored waters are sweetened but sugar free. I believe the two flavors are kiwi/strawberry and mango/peach.

Well now that you have explained that it's not really a surprise, the whole thing sounds lovely. I have a feeling your mom may have an inkling since she is bringing a formal gown for formal night which is not a thing on NCL, and the whole dad can't see it yet thing lol. I hope everything goes beautifully.

I am sure the exotic trip part of it would thrill her. But the part where you read your vows to her, and then because it's a surprise, she stands there tongue tied, will almost certainly not thrill her. The whole point of a vow renewal is that the two of you read your vows to each other. If it's a surprise for one of you, it kinda turns into a surprise quiz in a class they didn't take. Don't know about you, but decades out of school, and I still have that recurrent nightmare.

'Since a vow renewal is something that both spouses generally participate in, surprising ones wife with it is probably not a good idea. Most women would really want to be prepared with their own vows for something like that. From personal experience, DH was going to surprise me with a vow renewal on our 25th anniversary cruise. Luckily he realised the error of his ways, and I was able to write my vows to him. Our family and the both of us were able to truly enjoy a beautiful ceremony instead of me just being embarrassed by having nothing to say on the spur of the moment like that. May I humbly suggest that he tell her about the ceremony so she can prepare, and then maybe make the surprise a heartfelt gift?

Since no one said it, I will go ahead and do so. There is absolutely no reason to bribe your butler the first day. Handing them a bribe with a note listing requests seems as if you think the butler is not willing to do their job. While no one is ever going to say no to free money, the butler's are professionals and may be insulted by your bribe. Just tip at the end of the cruise. We have never bribed anyone and have always received stellar service.

The buffet closes early for your convenience. Well no, actually cutting out food options saves NCL money. Let's call it what it is. As an alternative example, MSC offers food in the buffet area for at least nineteen or twenty hours a day.

The butler is included in the service charge.

The ship is stocked with either not both options. So unless they are in the midst of changing the brand available or they have some older leftovers in stock, this probably won't work.

The dress code for Cagneys is the same as the less formal MDR, and the same as everywhere on the first night. As long as you are wearing clothing and shoes, you will have no issue.

Not sure what being sapphire has to do with this? So it would only be okay to charge more onboard compared to purchasing before one cruises (which is the norm for pretty much everything from specialty dining packages, to internet, to drink packages, and yes to spa passes) to gold or platinum? Besides, the spa is not an NCL entity and could care less even if you were crimson with polka dot flecks.

That sucks. It's a good idea if you know you will be arriving more than a few hours after check in time, to call the hotel and have them note a late arrival on your reservation so they will hold your room.