smilegirl07

Thanks for the review! Quick Q! Did you have free at sea package or free at sea plus package? The plus package includes premium beverages package and supposed to include all top shelf drinks as well, I will be annoyed if we have to pay extra even after getting the premium plus! We are sailing the Viva in summer in the Haven and your review was very helpful, setting the expectations! Thanks again!

It is just so sad how some people are lacking such common sense. It is like... "Hey, I wanted THAT sandwich until your fingers touched them". what a waste....😩

🤮. That is so disgusting!

Ouch! Missing a sport game is pretty damaging! 😆. (I am a Texan and it is another religion here 🤣)

@KeithJenner @yakcruiser @N-8 Thank y'all for the info. We have done a ton of cruises through the Caribbean and they always were on the "ship time". Good to know, so everything will be local time! Def less confusing. Thank you again!

Hi, y'all! We are sailing through the Mediterranean in August on the Viva, first time crusing in Europe! I finally got myself together and started looking into all the excursions and activites, and I am looking at some 3rd party programs as well since they are more diverse. However now I am getting totally confused with time! So we are starting our cruise in Lisbon, which they are one hour behind the rest of the countries we are stopping at (Spain, France and Italy). Do the time work as "on board time" which will be same as Portugal time and throughout the whole cruise or will it change? So for i.e. I am looking at an excursion in Ibiza that starts at 2PM, that should actually be 1PM on board time? I am so confused and my brain is boggling and not functioning.....😆 I would appreciate help from someone who did any cruise through the Med! I always get so much help from CC and fellow cruisers, can't thank y'all enough! Have a marvelous day!

I LIKE THAT!! 😆🙌 This is the whole reason we are traveling to Italy, right? 😉 Thank you!

that is actually a great idea, especially i don't have much time left.... (I thought I did but people act FAST!). Thank you for the suggestion!

That is me! I am an introvert who needs time away from crowds to rejuvenate ☺️.... Thank you for the tips and info!

thank you for the help and tips! Is splash academy for all kids ages under 13? I was reading somewhere and saw that there is a teen club? for kids 13 and up but my girls aren't 13 yet....

All sounds so good! We are flying in about a week prior to Rome and then will have to fly to Lisbon before the cruise starts. And then once the cruise is over, we have another 3 days before we fly out. I have NOT 🙄 worked out the little details where we are staying where we are going, etc before and after the cruise and I am realizing how quickly rooms are being sold out, excursions are being sold out, etc. Thank you for the info, all sounds so good, I am planning to take it easy since we have the kids but one of my daughters def wants to check out the Pisa!

@complawyer @CruiseMH @FLAHAM @Catchum Thank you, y'all are awesome and very helpful! I appreciate it all! 🙂

Hi, y'all! I am traveling on Viva this coming summer(Aug) for 10 days through the Mediterranean and will be taking our three kids who are pre teens and a little 7 year old. The itinerary that we chose are VERY port intensive starting from Lisbon - Gibraltar - Cadiz(Seville) - Motril (Granada) - Ibiza - Majorca - Barcelona - Provence(Marseille) - Villefranche - Livorno(Florence/Pisa) and then disembarking in Rome. It is literally stopping everyday and I have started looking at all excursions and tours, but am not planning to do it every day. There will be days we are planning to just stay on board and relax or just get off at the port and look around and then hop right back on the ship. Since this is a trip with the kids, I want to do (and not do) things with them. I want to hear from fellow cruisers who have recently done the Viva through the Med (or on any other ships, especially with kids?) that which ports were more exciting with kids, what are some excursions that you recommend and what may be some ports that are OK to skip and stay on board or just look around the port under just a few hours. I always get so much information during the booking process/preparing for the cruise on CC and truly appreciate all your help and sharing the info! Thank you so much in advance!

Thank you for the pictures! 🙂

I just have to say I love your comment and I thank you for it. And even though I have never sailed NCL yet and have a few planned in near future, to me Haven or non Haven, NCL gives me that whole family friendly vibe. I stayed at the Retreat on Celebrity, and Celebrity being less kids and more adults vibe(no slides, no gokarts, no rockclimbing, etc ;), there was no area where kids were not allowed(at least where the areas we have been to) at the Retreat and the Retreat staff made sure they felt welcomed. And the cruise was peaceful and FUN! Anywayz, l got the answer from NCL today saying that the courtyard pool area (infinity pool area for Prima class) is allowed to all Haven passengers, and the 17th sundeck is only for 16+. So here we have the answer! I once again thank you for all those of you who pitched in and helped me with your experience and information on this topic!

Greenpea2, Thank you again for this information! 🙂

where was your trip to? We are doing the Med in August, and hoping it is a little warmer! 🙂

Totally true. The hot tubs are on deck 17 and the infinity pool on 16. I have done a thorough research on line and from people who have been in the Haven on Prima, the popular answer was 16th floor where the pool is kids are fine, the 17th floor where the hot tubs are adults only - which makes sense to me. But to be safe and sure I have reached out to NCL and ask them to be sure. I called multiple times and got different answers every time. So I asked them if there is a way to get a for sure answer on this topic possibly in writing and then correct their web. They said they have escalated this to the corporate office and will get back to me on Monday with the answer. There are approx 43 units of "family villa" and I am sure there can be two couples sharing the unit or other forms of families/groups sharing the unit but I bet there will be children of various ages staying with their parents. If there is an outdoor space designated just for adults 16+ and up only, that rule should be followed but if there is outdoor pool space in the Haven where kids can also enjoy, that would be nice as well for people traveling with little ones as families.

Thank you so much for posting this! I read it through, but want to see if you could share your experience! I am in the same boat, I booked the Viva going through the Mediterranean next summer in the two bedroom Haven suite with three kids. They are not young kids but definitely not 16 yet. I just can't imagine paying $$$$ to be in the Haven and not have my kids be able to use the Haven pool. If they can't be in a specific area of the sundeck for adults to have some peaceful time, I get it but if they can't be in the whole sundeck pool and outdoor area, I think I may cancel the reservation or change to the regular balcony cabins (two connecting cabins maybe?). Would you please share your experience? Is it really a no no to kids under 16 for both the 16th and 17th floor Haven sundeck, or parents just take them and no one really checks...(which I don't want to do, I am not a rule breaker) or is it allowed by NCL to take kids to 16th floor Haven infinity pool? Thank you in advance to anyone with experience!

Very helpful, thank you Coralc and Tree-Skier!

Thank you Poocher and Cynt! I'll try that for sure. Will make notes and then take it directly to the restaurant. It was so weird how they told me to get on ship's wifi and then go from there using the app! It was definitely not easy but now I know better with your help! Thanks, again! P.S. Is that true that Izumi Hibachi can only be booked at Izumi or elsewhere(other restaurant) as well? I was reading through some other posts and think read it somewhere that Izumi Hibachi is only at Izumi,.,

I didn't say I did not get any value out of it, but I barely got what I paid for. 😃 I am hoping to get better value this time if I can! We all obviously buy packages to get better value if we can! And I like trying out different things! Thank you Firefly333, Guest Services said I have to be on ship's wifi and then use the app to book.... I will try heading to Izumi first this time, thank you so much!

Hi, we are a family of 5. I have cruised back in the days quite a bit when it was just my DH and I and then kids started happening. 😂 So we were off cruising for a while and then when we thought we were ready, there came COVID. And finally we did our first cruise as a family back in Nov last year on the Allure and it was amazing, kids asked me when our next cruise is on the disembarkation day. So we booked the Wonder for this summer. Long story short, when we were on Allure I got the specialty dining package and it was a pain to use and I think we barely got the value out of it. Since we got the package, we were only allowed book once on board on their WiFi. We checked in around 11 and were on the ship by 11:30, which was a breeze, getting on Voom was a pain and got help from the Guest Services. By the time I was on ship's WiFi around 12 something and was ready to book the restaurants, they were all GONE. They only had 5PM or 9:00PM. And places like the Izumi Hibachi was IMPOSSIBLE to book. So we ended up booking a few of them at 5 on sea days and some lunches. I can't do 9 since I have little kids. Since CC's fellow cruisers have so much experience and tips how to better handle situations, I thought I'd ask here. Thank you all so much in advance and happy cruising!