kittykitty576

I've sailed NCL both with and without the specialty dining package.  If there's a 'free' option -- yes, which charges the service fee -- then I find the specialty restaurants 'worth it.'  If I had to pay for the specialty plus the up-charge for the service fee, I pass.

My suggestion is:  If you like steak, order steak from the MDR.  I make the same suggestion for pasta.  If you really enjoy some high end (French/Sushi/other), then that is not going to be available in the MDR.

Just some thoughts.  Have a great cruise, whichever choice you make! 🍀🍀🍀

Unless you have CFAR (Cancel For Any Reason) trip insurance, where you paid for the rider, you wouldn't be eligible for cash refund.  Even so... (and I just purchased CFAR) the reimbursement is only 75%.  You still lose a substantial amount of money.

There hasn't been a recent change that I can see.  Hype on omicron has changed, and the CDC recommendations changed -- but I can't find any basis for the change in their _opinion_.

If you would typically have a good time on a cruise, I believe there's still good times to be had! 🙂

It's a very personal decisions.  So, good luck!! 🍀🍀🍀

There's great economic value in what the cruise lines bring to ports.  If those people (or more likely their governing party) want to avoid the advantages of hosting guests, that's their prerogative.  But, if they are avoiding a virus, they're really shooting themselves in the foot.  All passengers have _just_ been both asymptomatic (by declaration) and tested (misuse of testing... but I digress here).

I hope the World 'we' is back to welcoming our friends, family, neighbors, and yet-to-be-friends ASAP! 

I was in the Haven pre-COVID (1st time).  I am booked in the Haven in 2023.

If you have a desire for a lounger (or chairs/table) on your balcony, this is something you can request before hand.  I also understand you can ask for extra pillows or towels.

For my next cruise, I will pre-request afternoon treats.  I like strawberries, but won't really eat melons.  I like Cheese -- or maybe grilled cheese (1-day)... otherwise it sounds like I'd get strawberries and grilled cheese EVERY DAY.  hehe

These are just some pointers.  Get lots of opinions from lots of others 🙂

I have traveled with my child, who has a different last name.  My last name is also different from my husband's.  I take documents, as other people suggest, to avoid potential problems.

The other thing that I do is TAKE A PICTURE OF ALL 3 PASSPORTS TOGETHER and make sure that photo is on all of our phones.  In the case we are separated in another country, it demonstrates that we are all traveling together.

Who was your cruise director?

I was also on the Jan 20th sailing. The Cruise Director was Dan Dan.

Guys,

NCL is a pain to deal with, compared both to Royal and to Disney.

Bidding sucks...

When you have to tell your family "no upgrade" 48 hours before leaving, it starts the vacation off with disappointment. "Oh, but you'll have fun anyway," friends and family said with an "I'm sorry for your loss" voice.

Food...

I was simply unimpressed with the quality of the food until I ate at Teppanyaki. At that time, I couldn't eat 1 bite of either the Chicken or the Filet. Both tasted *bad,* *off,* could be rancid, but I can't conclude that exactly. Without eating, I left and went to MDR. Next morning, GI issues kept me on the toilet from that Teppanyaki. :o (graphic description avoided)

Deck chairs...

Yah, there are the hogs, but that's not what I'm talking about. The pool guys are taking down all chairs at 5pm. You can't even watch a sunset, seated, because they remove the deck chairs. Why?

Now, to the bill...

Each party in my family checked our separate and separated bills on night 6. We all agreed with the independent charges. Now, it's ALL charged to me (since I made the reservation). I contacted NCL... "We'll get back with you in 15 business days." That's total crap. NO other industry does this. Amazon? Nope. McDonalds? No, again. But, NCL thinks that they can skirt immediate responsibility? How about response within 24 -48 hours? That would be acceptable. Service-after-the-sail (pun intended) is why NCL will not likely be/remain a cruising superpower.

I LOVE to cruise! I love to spend time with my family! These things have not changed. IMHO, the value for the money I spent on NCL is not there... and not *just* for the seemingly small gripes, above. NCL lost a customer.

Best of luck to those who stick with NCL. I will be on another line.

I have the same problem. I was looking for NCL or Royal cruise in May 2019. It seems like inventory is VERY limited, or all of the ships sailing out of FL haven't yet been listed. And, the prices seemed to be higher than I anticipated. I was thinking (for 3 people in a balcony) $2,500. It's more like $3,600 - $4,100, depending on cabin location.

Disney... Disney... Hands-down Disney!

I took DD on her first 3-night cruise at 6 years old. She could barely be PRIED out of the Kids Club... it was SO fun for her! Kids had an individual "Daily" for kids club. Disney goes ABOVE AND BEYOND to accommodate adult, child, and family cruisers. At dinner, they bring the kids food out first (or with the appetizers). Then, Kids Club comes into the dining room and asks if you would like your child to leave the table and go to kids club. 30 - 45 min dinner for the kids... 1.5 - 2 hr dinner for the remaining adults.

I would rather do a 3 or 4 day cruise on Disney rather than any other line with kids. DD also did kids club on Royal Caribbean. This was no way comparable to Disney. Royal kids club was not as fun for her, and was quite frustrating for me. There was definitely a language barrier with the RCL staff. NOT SO with Disney. Disney's Kids Club has all English-as-a-first-language staff. Now, NCL has a FABULOUS teen club, but it sounds like you're quite a few years from that.

Best of luck finding your family cruise!!

I've heard about Haven snacks... and having the fridge emptied. Do you REQUEST the snacks, or do they just come? If you wanted soda in the fridge (diet pepsi), is it included with the Haven, or is it a per-can charge?

Thank you for your thoughts and experiences!

I've sailed Royal twice, NCL once, and one booked on NCL. I really like both, for different reasons.

Royal:

- I prefer the food quality

- Kids club was lacking / frustrating (age 8 - 10)

- Higher quality shows: And, the shows can typically accommodate everyone who wants to go

... - Shows alternate dinner times

- If you go with early or late dining, you can choose to pre-pay tips (or not)

- If you go with My-Time-Dining, you MUST pre-pay tips because you will not have the same waiter every seating

- There are suggested formal evening dinners (If you like this feature)

- I have been on Oasis and Allure

NCL:

- The buffet was huge!

- The teen club was really great!

- The newer ship, Escape, had great amenities... we loved the ropes course

- Shows were frustrating... having to have reservations

- LOVED the nightly piano / bar entertainment!!

- Food is good (I prefer Royal... but this wouldn't be a reason I jumped from one cruise line to another)

- I liked that NCL has sinks for handwashing rather than just alcohol-based sanitizers.

- NEVER a pool chair to be found. I refuse to "towel" a chair at 6am. I dislike how they clear the decks at 7pm

- Elevators are a bigger issue on Escape than on the large Royal ships

- I'm not meaning to diss on NCL. I liked it so much that I'm planning another cruise! I'm looking forward to a stay in the Haven.

I've had great experiences on each line. I would pick whichever, without reservation on either line :-)

Best of luck! :-) :-) :-)

OK... I'm confused on here. Are these IN ADDITION to the standard gratuities? I do understand that the butler and concierge are *in addition*... but, $800 for 7 days between these 2?

It's my first time in the Haven. We will have 5 people in a 2br villa (Escape). I guess I thought customary was $50 for the butler and $100 for concierge.

As the original poster said... I'm not trying to be skimpy or disrespectful of Haven service. I'm just trying to understand reasonable and customary.

We went on Norwegian Escape with DD, age 14. She had a WONDERFUL time in the teen club. We had a great cruise, and she had fun both with us and in the Club. From our perspective, we purchased the on-board texting between our cell phones. It was GREAT... when it worked. It was so spotty that we went to speak with Customer Service. Our money was refunded for the on-board texting. I HOPE that they get the fixed for future cruises. It's comforting to know my teen could text me when hanging out with teen friends around the ship!

I've sailed with Royal, NCL, and Disney. Hands down, Disney has kids club DOWN!! It's second to none. From a 9 year old perspective, NCL is not going to measure up to Disney. I'm not a fan of the Kids Club on Royal at this age. I can say, though, after the kids are old enough for teen club, any line is good. At the teen age, the kids are more self-sufficient as far as activities go. And, the lines do a great job with scavenger hunts for the teens!!

My 2 cents

DD and I.... LOVED.... the warm chocolate lava cake with gelato dessert that was in the main dining room. We liked it SO much that we asked for a double portion on our last night. HEAVEN!!!! :cool:

I LOVE Disney Cruising. Their second gen ships are the ultimate in cool (for adults AND kids!). If you aren't interested in alcohol or casinos, DEF go with Disney!! The rotational dining is not to be missed. Each dining room has it's own flavor (ambience), and your servers rotate the same as you do. There is a very cool ship-wide "game" where you "solve the mystery" using interactive ARTWORK on the ship! The price though, for me, was the deciding factor on a 7-night cruise. It was 3-times the cost on Disney.

Royal Caribbean is nice! It tends to be an OLDER crowd. (It SUCKS for kids, compared to Disney… not that this is a current consideration.) I had a good time on Oasis, not wonderful, but good. The comedy clubs were nice (rated R). The shows do NOT compare to Disney.

It depends on what you want to do. I like to tour at the ports, so I spend less time on the ship. NOWHERE beats Castaway Cay (Disney!)… again, consider cost.

Best of luck making your decision!:D

I'm interested in a ceremonial wedding (not legal) with just my man and I. I was also wondering if the captain could DO this. I'm not interested in $5,000 for this service, though.

Thanks for sharing your experience!

Thank all of you who replied with your personal experiences. We appreciate reading them.

 

Besides the letter of consent to travel and for medical care from each legal parent (notarized), what about giving permission for activities on board that require a parental release?

 

Anyone have experience with that? i.e permission to rock-climb, etc.

 

Thanks again!

THose forms say "parent or guardian" signature. Don't worry. I have sailed out of the country with my daughter who has a different last name than mine. We had NO problems and weren't asked to show ANY documentation (other than passport), even though I had it with me.

Have a GREAT cruise :-)

No Freestyle on Brilliance.

Is there a $6.50 "coke-only" drink package on Brilliance without freestyle?:confused:

Yes that's correct, the soda package is $6.50 a day for adults (I think $4.50 for kids)

Thanks!!:D

I loved it. With my pattern of consumption, it absolutely worked for me. DH has decided not to get it this time...unless he changes his mind. He's been waffling for weeks...mainly because I am a night owl and stay up at least 3 hours later than he.

:confused: So… can people in a single room be on DIFFERENT drink packages? Meaning… I don't drink a lot (no package for me), but think that my BF would benefit from a drink package;)

THANKS!

http://media.royalcaribbean.com/content/royal/en_US/pdf/beverage_packages.pdf

 

This version of the beverage packages started Nov 2013.

Do I understand page 2 correctly that I could get unlimited Coke products, alone, for $6.50 pp pd WITHOUT paying $20/40/55/etc??:confused:

Does anyone know:

1) Does Brilliance OTS have the freestyle machines?:confused:

2) if so, where are they located? :roll eyes:

Thanks!

One more thing on DCL… THere's a BIG difference between the 1st and 2nd generation ships. Magic and Wonder are older, and the kids clubs SHOW it in both programming and decor in Kids Club. Dream and Fantasy have MUCH better programming and decor. The two new ships have FAR superior decor.

As to other posters:

DCL service is second to none. #1!!!!

I hope that you have a great time on Royal… with all adults, I'm certain that you will. But, the experience will be MUCH different that DCL. Just don't expect "Disney" (experience or attention to detail) when you go on another cruise line ;)

You will have a great time, no fear! I know you won't have the kids with you, but most kids really prefer the RCI kid's club over Disney's....it's a bit more structured, and kids like that!

:confused:

I have NO idea where this poster is coming from. I LOVE Disney Cruises, and have been on Royal once (with DD)… and have booked again (adults only). THere is NO comparison between Disney Kids Club and Royal. Royal SUCKS. It sucks for the kids AND for the adults trying to find / pick up kids.

DIsney has many, many, many safety measures in place. Kids are RFID'ed and can be located ANYWHERE on the ship or on Castaway Cay. Royal doesn't even do ANY kind of security.. even within the kids club. All I had to have was a kid name and a room number to get a kid out. WTH?! Inherently UNSAFE. On Disney, MY RFID and my child's RFID had to match in order to get her out of kids club.

THe programs for kids within kids club were also NO WHERE CLOSE. DIsney was 10/10. If Royal was 6/10, that would be a GIFT… and, that's on Oasis… where I'd have THOUGHT that they'd beef up to kids club and programming.

FOOD:

DIsney wins. Hands down. The rotating dining rooms that are SO themed are worth the price of admission. And, the food on Disney is BETTER. THe food on Royal is alright. No problems with it, it's just that Disney is BETTER.

I LIKE Royal for the price. But for the EXPERIENCE and for the KIDS CLUB, Disney wins. Hands down. FOr a more in-depth review of ships from Disney and from Royal… see Gambee's review of each.

My 2 cents, and absolutely NO disrespect to the poster or to either cruise line :D