roddy good boy

I embarked in Venice, but also flew into Venice. I was reacting to posts that stated cruisers had received stamps from all countries visited during a cruise. Apparently, that was the case in years gone by…

Getaway. I know we can eat at the Haven restaurant, but they used to invite you to eat at Margeritaville or the American dinner free for lunch on the first day.

This is my first post COVID cruise. I remember there was an alternative specialty restaurant that Haven guests could complementary go to on that first day (Margaritaville, and then later American Diner). Is there an alternative?

🤦🏻‍♀️

We will be there pre-cruise 8/30-9/1 and post cruise 9/10-9/11. So, not a lot of time. But, we’re staying at Athens/Gate, which I understand is within walking distance of a lot of sites!

Thank you. We’re embarking in Athens on our next cruise and I was wrestling with the issue of whether to try to tour a bit and board later. I also don’t really like hanging around the Haven boarding area or the Haven Lounge waiting for the cabins to open. (I usually handle dining and entertainment reservations prior to boarding. So, no need for assistance from the concierge on that day). I’m leaning toward boarding at 1:00pm or so, and having a late lunch.

That cabin is absolutely beautiful. And that balcony…!!! It was my first time on a cruise with a separate Haven observation lounge. It is also a beautiful space. Unfortunately, we had inclement weather the entire time. If I could win a huge jackpot for choosing a cruise week with poor weather, I’d be extremely wealthy! I always seem to pick a cruise impacted by a hurricane. We also sailed to the Mexican Riviera (early Oct. 2018), but the cruise was diverted because of weather. We ended up going to San Diego, Ensenada, Mexico and San Francisco. The ship is so amazing that we made the best of it. It’s a bit of a hike to the Haven courtyard, but I didn’t find it that prohibitive.

I have repeatedly stayed at The White Hotel. We love it. It’s a lovely, small boutique hotel literally down the street from the Trevi Fountain ( so easy to find again after a long day of touring). ( We just ask cab drivers to take us to the Trevi Fountain 🤣). It’s also easy walking distance to most other attractions ( Spanish steps, pantheon). Just another alternative for you!

I cruised on the NCL Jade in 2015 to Croatia, Greece, and Turkey and didn’t have one stamp to show for it!

Do you have recommendations on the best source material on the history of the site?

I’ve actually been on Bliss in a Haven aft suite. It’s my experience that you won’t even see (or meet) the late night butler unless you request after hours room service. We always tipped the night butler when he delivered requested late night snacks (hot wings, lobster when it was allowed, etc). You will not see him/her on that last morning. Others may have a different experience. I am under the impression that the night butler is whomever is on call. I don’t think it’s a regularly assigned person. We tip the assigned day butler, steward and concierge on the last morning of our cruise, separately. There are all kinds of opinions on how much each should be tipped. I tend to err on the side of over tipping. But, you decide what works best for you.

No. I’m on the Getaway, which starts on Sept. 1. Currently, the itinerary still lists Kusadasi for Sept. 2. I’m hoping it remains. Ray985 is on the May 25 sailing of Viva.

Sheesh!!! We’re already scheduled for Santorini so if they remove Kasadasi it’ll likely be a sea day or another Greek port. I’m trying to stay positive. We’re currently scheduled for two days in Istanbul, as well, but they only have excursions offered at 5 hours, or less. The all day, more desirable ones aren’t listed. Not sure what that’s about. I was originally on one of the Israel, Egypt, Greece, Turkey cruises that were cancelled. First they understandably took off Israel, but pretended like we would still go to Egypt for months, prior to just cancelling the cruise. I’ve previously been to Athens, Greece and enjoyed it, but I didn’t want to go on an all Greek Isle cruise. Getting up in age and have some bucket list places I’d like to experience. However, I’m sure we’ll make the best of it, if it comes to that. Blessed to be able to go anywhere!

I’m with you! I chat with people in lines, shops, bars, pools…you name it! I do get energy from other people. But, I love my down time and my meals represent that time. I don’t feel like being ‘on.’ I don’t really want to hear about other's experiences/ complaints while I eat. But, as stated, to each his/her own!

I’ve done both. We sailed on Celebrity (first cruise), RC, and Carnival. You make the whole stranger dining thing work, and we’ve met lovely people. However, we discovered NCL’s anytime, private-table dining methodology and have never looked back! I’m retired now, but worked hard long hours for almost 40 years, and interacted with dozens of diverse personalities each day. I now personally enjoy unwinding and relaxing at meals with just my spouse and/or family. It’s what brings us repeatedly back to NCL.

Folks on my Getaway sailing have expressed concern that NCL has yet to offer excursions for Kusadasi on 9/2. It already is an abbreviated stop, between the hours of 6:30 am- 1:30 pm. I saw from the cruisetimetables app that a Crystal ship will arrive at 1:30 pm and there will be 4 ships at the port at all given times. I guess that accounts for Getaways 1:30 pm departure. I guess we’ll know when we know (if NCL will keep the port)!

In days of ole…I would get about 1k in OBC (when booking the Haven) and easily spend it! I still have a gold bracelet that I bought on a med cruise, in the NCL jewelry store for about $500 about 10 years ago. It’s hollow, with several dents on it, but if I turn it just right…not real noticeable! 🤣

It’s hit or miss. I got $200 for a Vegas resort stay, in Feb. However, I just came back from a resort stay in Florida, a few weeks ago and got nothing. The offer said it was bi-annually, so I’m assuming I needed to wait a few more months between stays? I keep checking, but I have no offers for NCL.

I can’t find the Amex platinum offer for OBC. Does it just pop up or can I call to request it?

Thanks. I recalled that it used to work that way. I was just curious because of the new limits on lobster, etc. He’s an average sized man who works out, but only eats one meal a day (and likes to make it a good one). I’m trying to expand his palate, but after 38 years, it’s lost a cause!

Can you order more than one entree at a time, from the Haven menu? Questioning for my husband who only likes large portions of meat and potatoes.

We used to have to sail during the summer and school holidays because of our kids. Now that they are adults, and on their own, we always make sure to vacation in the Fall, Winter or late Spring! Unfortunately, even though the Haven has been light on kids, we were impacted by hurricanes on two separate cruises during the Fall months, on Carribiean cruises. This year, we’re still sailing in Sept.,but cruising out of Europe. I don’t imagine they’ll be a significant amount of kids on a Mediterranean cruise during the fall.

Yes! The ones for 2024 have been out for a month, or so. I was originally booked on the Getaway, Sept 29th sailing. It still begins in Athens, but ends in Portugal. There are several ports in Spain along the way. It went from 9 days to 7 days. I had already booked a different itinerary, prior to seeing the revised one. The one I booked is mostly the Greek Isles, with a few stops in Turkey.

Getting back to the original question: since we have limited time in port, we will likely just visit the ancient city of Ephesus (if we hire a private guide). Hopefully, NCL will post some tours soon and we can compare itinerary’s and pricing.

No worries! Some do believe that Mary Madeleine may have travelled to Ephesus to live with the Virgin Mary. Lastly, you mention John the Baptist. He preceded Jesus (was born BC). John the disciple is a totally different person, who allegedly brought the mother of Jesus to Ephesus. It’s John the disciple’s basilica that is in Ephesus. His gravesite is still there, but the body was plundered. The sites (like many others in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia Minor) are wonderful to visit from a religious and historical prospective!