WhenIsOurNextCruise

I absolutely would not cruise on a ship with a Haven area if we weren't IN IT! And the Epic Class ships are the best of the best. Also, after we stayed in the Garden Villa on the Gem Class ships, we never wanted to be on one of those ships if we weren't in the GV. But we are hooked on Epic Class having sailed in the Haven twice on the Epic, once on each of the "away" ships and heading for the Escape this weekend. Love the concierge service and the luxury and feeling like royalty! Impossible to go back Downstairs! Give it a try.

Can anyone on the 7 day Escape this week tell me if the BAGS program is available for your disembarkation tomorrow?

PS - Sorry you have to get off! We are sailing Thanksgiving week and I never want to get off!

Our grandson is 8 and has been on 8 NCL cruises, always in the Haven and a couple of times in the Garden Villa. Is he a little spoiled? Maybe, but he is a good kid and we have a blast with him and his parents! Do we have fantastic memories? Absolutely! We usually sail during Thanksgiving week and it is a great tradition. There are plenty of other kids in the Haven and most of them are very well behaved. Enjoy your vacation! Splurge is good!

For the butler we will tip $150 for the week and the concierge tip depends on who it is and how often we see them. Adrian Bica is concierge on our upcoming cruise on the Escape. He is amazing. First met him in 2009 when he was the casino host on the Gem. Now he seems to be the concierge on all the new ships coming out for NCL, and he deserves the honor. We have sailed with him as our concierge on the Epic (x2), Breakaway and Getaway and he is very competent and works pretty much 7 days every week! He adds value and fun to our trip and we tip him well because he is attentive and polite and always happy to see us and makes us feel like family! If, however, we have routine service on a ship with a different concierge, we tip about $100/week when we use their services. Just have a good time and appreciate anyone who provides excellent service.

Is that per week or per day? I would almost always go for an upgrade unless I wanted to be specifically where my current cabin is regarding location. Then it would depend on the location of the upgrade - and since this offer is a gty, then I would look at the worst location for a mini and determine if that location is acceptable. I want to be inthe biggest, nicest cabin on the ship - always!

If you don't ask, it won't happen. If you do ask, it might happen. Ask.

Cabo is great - love it. The rest of Mexico, not so much. So on our last cruise to the Mexican Riviera, I was happy to enjoy the ship on the port days. Services are cheaper in the spa. Nothing is crowded. It was wonderful!

Cruising is all about the casino for me too. Wondering if you play Video Poker or have noticed what kind of machines they have.

Enjoying your fun cruise!

Thanks for your help! We booked the Mandarin and looking forward to the experience.

We are staying at the Mandarin Oriental. Can you please advise me regarding the walk to Mary Brickell Village? Also, any raving recommendations for restaurants?

I hate to throw a wrench in things but the Surfcomber in South Beach is a Kimpton Hotel and is spectacular! Kids absolutely go nuts over the beach and it is directly oceanfront.

That is perfectly okay. I like wrenches and options! I had looked at it and it looked a little funky, but I'll go look at it again. Question - is it on the Ocean Side of the street or do you have to cross the street to the beach? Thanks!

Probably not in a car.

 

We went to the taxi stand and asked for a van. We were 4 adults 2 children plus luggage. We waited about 10 minutes for the van taxi to arrive. I believe it was $10 more than a car taxi would have been. It was definitely a money saver than if we had split up.

 

We arrived day of the cruise after a 2.5 hour delay. It was stressful but we still had plenty of time. It was comforting to know how close the port is to the airport. I personally wouldn't do it again.

 

 

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Thanks for your help. We are flying in a day early and staying downtown.

Can I add my question regarding taxi - can you get 4 adults plus an 8 year old plus luggage into a taxi?

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm checking availability, but I like the idea of the manmade beach for our grandson. We are Kimpton (the Epic) Loyalty Members and like their hotels, but I'm thinking a little more grand for Miami. Thanks again.

Luxury on the water.... The Mandarin Oriental on Brickell Key is great. The Epic is another. There is a Marriott Marquis but it's not directly on the water neither is The Four Seasons, The JW Marriott or The Conrad. Some of the higher rooms will have water view however and all are in the same area. All also have a pool.

Thanks for responding. I like the Epic because I like Kimpton. How is the area around it? Between the Epic and the Mandarin, which has better shopping and dining options within walking distance?

Thanks

Looking for recommendations for luxury hotel close to cruise terminal, waterfront, kid friendly, hopefully plenty of shopping and restaurants within walking distance for single day/night before cruise. Intercontinental appears to not have availability for the date we need. Suggestions appreciated! Thank you.

Leaving on the Jewel this weekend in Seattle. Who is the concierge now? Thanks!

My favorite concierge of all time is Adrian Bica, but I know he is not on the Jewel.

Wondering if they have van taxis that can carry 5 people with luggage or should we book a private service?

On the other hand, we have an 11:30 flight. What is usually the earliest departure time and how far is it to the airport?

Summary of some of the above items - I hope the individual contributors don't mind.......

General....

· There's a real lack of electrical outlets in your cabin so don't forget to bring along a power strip.

· It's good to carry a little penlight with you too. You need it to find the little doojigger thing you stick your room card in as it also turns on the lights.

· If you're not worried about being "green", you can use any discount card you have and leave that in the slot all the time.

· Deck 17 Forward Sundeck (way forward) has cabana loungers and was always lightly attended and quiet even on sea days with an overbooked cruise.

· Don't miss the ropes course and walking the plank. The feeling you get looking out and seeing nothing but blue sky and blue ocean is exhilarating.

· Try going to the pool around dinner time. We did that, and had the entire pool and a hot tub all to ourselves for about 30-40 minutes.

· If you are getting a spa treatment and they take you to room 15, request a different room. 15 is directly under the weight room and the thudding and shaking (literally) does not make for a relaxing treatment!

· As others have said don't miss the free fall slide....the purple slide is the fastest ...the yellow slide is a tad slower. But remember when you do the free fall slide be sure to either wear nose plugs or hold your nose...because when you hit the bottom....water comes hard and fast from everywhere.... (i thought i was drowning ) Much more so than the others.... You don't expect it at all!!! we all want to do a 'do over' but then the tube broke...so was unable to slide again that time!!

· If you want to be at Spice H20 for the fireworks go early. They close it when it gets to a certain capacity.

· The fish on the carpet in the hallways "swim" forward. Good to remember if you are "directionally challenged" as I am.

· You cannot wear any jewelry on the slides. Take it all off before climbing to the top. Also, if you wear glasses all the time, you need to take them off and that will mean you will need someone at the bottom to give them back to you!

· Walking the Waterfront in the early morning, relaxing on a lounger. The entire Sports Complex - Water slides, ropes course with zip line and walk the plank, mini-golf, etc.

· Shows....Burn the Floor (excellent), Rock of Ages (very good show, excellent band, mature themes). Reservations recommended but you can also try to go in on standby minutes before the show. Any performances in the Atrium, Headliners, and Fat Cats, go early because of limited seating. Fire & Ice, and Fat Cats excellent.

Food

· If you go to Moderno be careful of that salad bar. It's fantastic, but it will fill you up fast and you have 11 kinds of meat to sample. They're all great, and they are quite free about giving you seconds and thirds!

· Everyone will tell you about the wings and fish and chips at O'Sheehans and they are great as advertised, but don't forget to try the chicken pot pie.

· Don't miss the gelato stand out on the board walk. They change the flavors every day or so. Keep an eye out for the Cappucino flavor. Wow!

· And try to find the Sabrett hot dog stand if you can. It moves around and it's only open for about an hour a day, but they're real Sabrett dogs in a steamed bun with all the right condiments. They're free and they rock! (response The hours (usually 12 - 4) for the hot dog carts, and their locations, are listed in the Freestyle Daily.)

· Bring beverages! We fill a cooler with soda and water, and put a luggage tag on it. We check it in with our luggage at the curb. When you get to your room, ask your room steward to empty the fridge. You can then fill it up with your own goodies.

· A little secret for me was the prime rib dinner at O'Sheehans on the 1st night. Even with football on atrium screen the restaurant wasnt over crowded

· Uptown Grill is a lightly used covered open air lunch and breakfast spot. It's on 16 I think aft nice little out of the way spot. We didn't find it till day 5 and sorry we didn't find it sooner. more..... Uptown Bar & Grill on 16 is a great breakfast spot. They have pre-made egg mcmuffin type sandwiches, but also bagels, fruit, croissants and they do eggs/omelette's to order. It's never crowded and has a great view. Just go up one flight from the Garden Café on 16 aft

· O Sheehans has an added ice cream menu, you pay extra but the sundaes are yummy.

· On our cruise they offered a free bottle of house wine - red or white - at any of the pay dining venues on the first night. We had a nice dinner at La Cucina for $15 each so was a deal. It may not always be on so check.

· A word of warning if you're a coffee drinker. The coffee was really strange and we didn't like it at all. I mostly drank the coffee in the cabin but someone suggested the Starbucks coffee packets or something similar.

· Main dining rooms (Taste/Savor) and O'Sheehans is open is for lunch on embarkation day... You don't have to go to the buffet if you don't want to but that's good too.

· A Sabrette hotdog that's pink and snappy (not a grey dirty water dog like NYC) - Both on the waterfront during the day, and indoors at night (included)

· Lobster night (second night) in the Garden Cafe buffet (included)

· Lunch at O'Sheehans - Corn Beef Cabbage Soup amazing! Buffalo Wings, Burger, Corn Beef sammich Yum! (included)

· Lobster Tail from Carlo's Famous Bake shop YUM! (a la carte)

· Lobster Roll from Ocean Blue on the Waterfront for lunch WOW! ($10) The roll is toasted and buttered, and the lobster is tossed in a type of butter sauce and very rich. It's different than a Maine Lobster Roll which is served two ways 1) Tossed with mayo like a slaw or 2) "Naked" drizzled with drawn butter.

· Steak Tartar and Dover Sole in Ocean Blue for dinner AMAZING! ($49) Dragon Roll and Godzilla Rolls from Wasabi very good (a la carte)

Ok, thanks mommy! I will cross my fingers that it will be the 11-10 cruise :D

If no one answered, I believe he goes to the Breakaway on 11/14/13, but that seems like the middle of the week if you have a sale date of 11/10. So maybe he will be there on the 10th. And fortunately for me, we are sailing on the 17th, following cruise! Love Adrian!

We have had some amazing concierge service. Once, in Europe, we were 3 couples in the GV and booked all private tours, our Concierge escorted us off the ship in every port and right to our awaiting driver. We have enjoyed last minute reservations, a smile and "no problem" when we needed to change dinner reservations, visits at almost every dinner (because he knew where we were) to say hello and ask if we needed anything the following day. One Thanksgiving we had 12 people for a dinner reservation and the concierge took us downstairs, below the dining room and through the kitchen to our table because there were a ton of people crowded around the door and it was difficult to get 12 people into the dining room. We have had tireless service and have enjoyed every minute. We usually tip the concierge more than the butler and we usually tip the butler well. We tip on service received. We get together at the end of the cruise and think about all the pleasant experiences we have had and tip accordingly. When we haven't had good service, we haven't tipped much at all. Just like real life! We have been on ships where we felt like Royalty and have some great memories! The right concierge can make the entire cruise magical.

Ok one more comment about the whole Peter Max thing he probably got his cruise for free, I mean really he couldn't say hello, rude. Hi Gambee

And I agree with that...... it costs nothing to be polite no matter who or where you are! And what a great story that would have been for Gambe's review. And we might all like him as a result!

There was a little pushback on the Peter Max comment. It seems some think because Peter Max painted the ship and is doing a promotion appearance/event(s) on behalf of NCL he has no right to personal time and has to be ON and available to anyone who wants to approach him the entire time he is on the cruise. We are going to disagree on that one. I clearly stated he was rude and I agree he should not have behaved that way EVER to anyone no matter what! But I don't think he is working for NCL 24/7 for the entire cruise. I don't know him, don't have an opinion about liking him, (although I do like his art), and, from Gambee's encounter he sounds pretty obnoxious and annoying. Just stating my personal opinion regarding his (and everyone else's) right to privacy.

BTW, Gambee, underwater shots look great.

Gambee,

1127 posts and most of them yours! This has to be a labor of love for you. You are certainly blessed with a great trait: attention to detail. We will be on the Breakaway (after 3 times on Epic) in the Haven area with family for Thanksgiving. I know it will be similar to the Epic and appreciate your take on the great cruise to Bermuda.

I have one little comment regarding your encounter with Peter Max. I totally agree that he should have been friendlier and much more polite. However, I think celebrities should be given a little consideration regarding their right to privacy when they are not engaged in a public appearance at an event or function. I'll bet if he knew about your large fan following, he would have been a lot nicer!

Again, lovely review and great photos. Thank you for sharing because I know you have dedicated a ton of time to this review!