nadeki

We were on this sailing. I would have LOVED for a decent ranch dressing. 

NCL used to have the best buffalo wings in the Local.Now, they are fair and definitely need dressing to dip into. The amount of allocated dressing that is coming in the little silver container is about 1/4 full.It is not near enough and the staff was not around to ask for more.

We did not go hungry but were disappointed this time in the food and beverage service.

On a side note, we discussed the salt and pepper shaker as a memorable souvenir also! It was good looking.

24 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

If you’re going to consider booking the Haven, you might want to look at alternative lines. We have come to love Viking Oceans.  Their veranda prices are similar to suite prices on Norwegian on regular cruises and can work out to be less than NCL if you catch a promo or a special.  

Thank you for this suggestion. I will look into the options. At this time being such a creature of habit I will keep this one on NCL despite coming home and now the price is $1800 more than quoted on the ship as a GUARANTEED done deal. I knew better. He would not let me take a photo of his computer screen, said it was against company policy. Grrrrrr

We were on this cruise as well. We are Sapphire level NCL and have cruised on the Bliss before ( we call it our favorite ship). This cruise was "off" from the beginning. 

We spent time feeling sorry for the staff ( they never complained) and did. not see many smiles. You are correct, I never heard my name.

We went to the cruise next desk four times trying to upgrade a future cruise to the Haven as we were definitely feeling the need for a concierge. Besides spending time in line four times our promised request to upgrade the reservation ( for another $7000) was not handled. 

We could not get reservations to dine in spite of empty restaurants.

If this had been our first cruise we probably would not return.

However, it is. our 17th cruise on NCL and we are addicted. We will keep trying.

I would not recommend the London Pass. I bought it for six people for five days last June. We did not come close to getting our moneys worth. I struggled to find what was included and ended up purchasing passes to places that wold have been free. At the Shard we ended up paying more to get the VIP pass to go up thirty minutes earlier as they are time entrances and there was no exception for a pass holder.

It was too much to try and plan times etc and pack more into one day.

We have used the Oyster card in the past. This time we used taxis everywhere. It was not cheap but not as bad as US prices.

We have been in these suites and used it for two adults and they LOVED it. I have also done it as one adult with two children.

It is absolutely worth it to have the extra room and perks of the suite.

6 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

We saw the Ceremony of the Keys several nights ago. And yes, we loved it! How amazing to be inside the Tower at night, and then get to watch this ritual that has been going on for more than 730 years!  The text has not changed over the centuries, except for the name of the monarch, which only so recently changed.  In fact, during the Warder’s introductory remarks to us, he slipped for a moment and referred to the monarch as “she.”  Totally understandable after 70 years. 
 

What a great evening. Thanks again for mentioning this! 

Thanks for letting me know.I am hoping to see it again next June.

Nancy

In June we used Blackberry. No problems.....just not as professional as Smiths was.

The driver was in jeans and a t-shirt and there was no conversation. A clean basic vehicle, Basically an Uber.

I missed the conversation but no complaints.

3 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

No. Will be there in a few weeks.  (We do have tickets for the ceremony. I’ll come back and post about it, assuming it takes place.)
 

What a sad time for the U.K. and the world. 

Yes, a very sad time. I am glad you should be having your ceremony. It will change to the verbiage of locking up things for the king. 

I was going to say come back and tell me if you liked it. But, I know you will LOVE it. I am so happy you got your tickets.

On 8/1/2022 at 12:40 PM, Turtles06 said:

 

Thanks, and I hope you get back!  I've been inside the Tower (it's been quite some time) but the Ceremony of the Keys will be new!  And it will be a totally unexpected addition to our trip, so my wife and I really thank you. 

 

 

Please let us know if you got to the ceremony. Are you in London at this time? 

On 8/31/2022 at 5:40 AM, FetaCheese said:

Will be staying 1st time at Hotel Continental Palacete on Las Ramblas.  Old world style hotel.  Reasonable rates.

We stayed here in 2016 and dream of going back. It is not a typical american hotel. We LOVED it and the staff that worked there.

Amit was a fantastic concierge for us. Prior to that I kept hearing No, I can't help you. Amit joining the cruise on the third day was a blessing for our reservations. They had been a complete mess from the pre cruise concierge service.

1 hour ago, Turtles06 said:

 

Thanks for mentioning this!  We have a return visit to London in September, and so I checked the web site for these tickets when I read your post the other day.  As it happens, they went on sale today (Aug. 1) for all of September, and I was fortunate to be able to get a couple.  Really looking forward to it!

I am so happy for you. It was very ceremonial. Now we really want to get back and tour the tower in the daytime.

I am so glad you grabbed your tickets, they sell out quickly.

One more option but not specific to seeing London. The theater shows are much cheaper than in the US. We have really enjoyed this benefit.

We have been to London a few times and my husband grew up there. We have not come close to seeing everything. We can't wait to go back.

This June we had my favorite experience so far and it will help maximize your day and wallet.

The Ceremony of the Keys at Tower of London. It happens at 9:30 at night and has a reasonable cost of 5 pounds per person.

I encourage you to look at the website. Only 50 tickets are issued and are hard to get.

We loved it and that includes our teens ages 16 and 18.

The little train is right where the ship docks. It is a fun 90minutes.

There are shops you can walk around and have lunch etc.

Thank you again for sharing your knowledge. We will be there Tuesday June 14th 🙂

Thank you very much for your detailed responses. I must now try to digest the information.

If I am understanding things might be more walkable than I previously thought ( except Arthurs Seat).

There is never enough time to see everything and safely return to the ship on time.

I will study this now.

Thanks again.

The other part of my question is.....if you buy a day pass for the bus system in Edinburgh it says tickets for  the Edinburgh castle and Royal Yacht are included. Yet, when you purchase on line it says they are timed entry. Does anyone know if the lines are longer or how the process works? Thank you very much.

I would like to make our stop in Newhaven do it yourself. Can anyone assist me in how to catch the bus into town? From what I read that is the easiest way instead of waiting for an expensive ship transport.

Things I would like us to do ( and any advice is appreciated).

Take HOHO bus to Edinburgh castle. And have a visit to Arthurs Seat.

Thank you very much.

Thank you so much for this thread. I am the planner for our travels which always include extended family. 

I am thinking of making my itineraries a little more detailed now. It is exhausting to be the one with all the knowledge answering all the trivial questions. 

Have a great trip. Now you should be able to enjoy.

We have taken our kids to many locations and it was great.We did the Baltic countries when they were 2 and 4. 

You can't expect them to remember beyond what they see in photos.But that is still true now they are teenagers.

We found pushing a stroller on cobblestone streets challenging but doable. One of our best stories was trying to buy diapers at a pharmacy in Estonia. Was getting nowhere until a local finally said PAMPERS. Then it was easy.

I would not change a thing.

We are still using key chains he gave us on a couple cruises years ago. Glad to see Mr. Happy will be cruising again.

I've sailed with Mr. Happy several times. Such a nice man.

 

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We love Mr. Happy and have seen him on two cruises. We still have some keychains around from him that make us smile.

Looks about like the same things I have packed!! See you on the ship Saturday:) Looking forward to this trip.

You will have. many answers and opinions. Here are my thoughts. Eight people is a great number to have. You can use one of the private touring companies and fill one van. This way you control what you see, Three days is a good amount to scratch the surface...you will never see it all, especially combined with jet lag.

If there is a chance you fly Aire Lingus and your stopover is in Dublin you will clear customs for your and your luggage at this point. Then when you arrive at your USA destination you just walk off the plane and that is it. This was a big benefit for us.

Have fun planning.