marelind

TSan Pedro is a different and not so common port for NCL.

San Pedro is the port NCL goes in and out of regularly, at least we have several times. NCL does not use Long Beach with is the only other port used in the LA area.

We embarked in NOLA last April - My 90 year old mother, DH and me. Mom and DH have mobility issues. The taxi brought us in and dropped us at the closest door to where we entered the maze to get in to the terminal. If he had gone all the way forward to the farthest door we would not have had to walk the entire length of the terminal to get to the line into security. We were unable to get a wheelchair until after we went through security, even though we had asked for one. Just after security there was a waiting area with a staff person who took names and then directed the wheelchairs to the names on the list. Once we sat there for about 30 mintues wheelchairs came and took us to the suite check-in, then to the VIP lounge.

A great, thoughtful review! Thank you for taking the time to write and post.

It completely depends on if you want to eat in the specialties each night. DH and I are very happy to eat in the MDR about half the nights. We look at the menu and decide if we see something that piques our interest. If not, we go to one of the specialty restaurants. For that reason it would not make sense to purchase the UDP.

Some people don't like the MDR at all and only want to eat in the specialties. If that is your preference then $224/14=$16, which means if you eat in the Italian restaurant every night, it's a bad deal. If you eat in Cagney's or Le Bistro every night, it's a good deal.

The only other thing I will say is that our experience on a 14 day is that by the second week we cut way back on how much we eat. In fact, on one of the ship tours the head chef said they order a certain amount on a 7 day cruise. On a 14 day cruise they order, not two times that amount, but only 1-1/2 times as much since the amount of food consumed the second week drops dramatically. So you may find yourself paying for the UDP and then not using it as much as you think you might.

Here is my take:

We have not sailed on the larger ships (BA, GA, Epic), just Jewel and Dawn class, but we sail in suites. If you want midship in a Haven suite, then try the Jewel class ships. The 2BR are right there in the Haven, and all the Jewel class except the Jewel have a deluxe owner's suite just up the stairs from the Haven (though it isn't my favorite cabin for a variety of reasons).

The Haven experience on the Jewel class seems very different than on the larger, newer ships which have a larger pool area, restaurant in the Haven, lounge areas, etc. The Jewel Haven is smaller and more intimate and you go down one deck to Cagney's for breakfast and lunch, or you can order meals in the Haven.

Our favorite cabin is the owner's suites on Jewel class. The are all the way up at the front of the ship, but we haven't had a problem with motion. Also, they have Haven priviledges, though it takes a bit of a trek to get there.

In Jewel class there are three basic levels in the full suites. All suites get butler, concierge, Cagney's for breakfast and lunch, afternoon snacks, etc. Haven suites have access to the Haven. Owner's suites, deluxe owner's suites and Garden Villas have free sodas, mixers and alcohol (not beer).

I hope this helps your decision making process.

I just emailed the public relations because 90% of the time I am unable to do a mock booking past the selection of category. I select the category that shows the per person fare, but when it goes to the next page it most often says there are no cabins available in that category. The page before does not say "Sold Out" though. Crazy!!!

We have not found a need for that. The longest we have had to wait is about 10 minutes (though they said it would be longer). The vast majority of time we have walked up and been seated right away. The only caveat is if you have a large group it may take longer.

Short answer - it depends.

Long answer - On our first cruise we did B2B2B Alaska/one nighter/Pacific Coastal. I never felt settled. When I was in the cabin I thought, "I should be out taking advantage of the activities on the ship or seeing the sights in the ports." When I was out exploring the ship I thought, "I should be sitting on the balcony or napping in the cabin," and this thought only increased when we were upsold into an Owner's Suite. When I got home I thought about it and realized I could "vacation" which involves sunning, a lounger, fruity drinks and enjoying the cabin, or I could "travel" which involves getting up early to see the sights and spending less time in the cabin. I now know I prefer to vacation, but on occasion will "travel" when in a port I'd like to explore.

This is why we like longer itineraries that have almost as many days at sea as in ports. We have done the Panama Canal three times for this reason.

My response may or may not be helpful. DH has had COPD for 20 years; we have cruised for the last 7 years and he has been on oxygen for the last 5. We find cruising to be perfect for us. I can get off at the ports, and occasionally he will get off if there is something close to look at just off the ship. (He is very different than your husband I'm sure. DH is not a "traveler" who likes to see the sights. He is a "vacationer" who likes the ship as a destination.

We like cruising because the restaurants/dining rooms and anything else we want to do on the ship is close enough for a short walk. There is no packing up and schlepping luggage which takes a lot of breath for my husband. We take a POC (Portable Oxygen Concentrator) which he uses to sleep, exercise or for a flight.

When we take a flight we ask the airlines for a wheelchair for my husband which they provide with a "pusher" (we tip the pusher a $5 bill). The pusher always takes us to the front of the TSA line and directly to the gate. We also ask, and wait, for a wheelchair to get onto the ship. Somethime you have to walk a long way to get to the wheelchair station, but it is often easier than walking up the long ramp to the ship.

Pulmonary rehab is a great idea. My husband was convinced it wouldn't do any good in improving his health, until he went through the program and now finds that when he doesn't "work out" it is much more difficult to do his everyday routine, even taking a shower makes him more breathless.

DH breathes better with the humidity of the ocean air. Some with COPD do better with dryer air, so you might think about that. I would avoid colder weather as it makes breathing more difficult. We loved the full-transit Panama Canal trip on Norwegian Cruise Lines. It is 14 days with a great mix of days at sea and port days. It is slower and more relaxed than the shorter, port intensive cruises. YMMV.

We are VERY, VERY cautious about germs while on the ship. We use the hand sanitizers they have throughout the ship and wash hands frequently, he sits on the aisle in any auditorium to avoid sitting next to sick people, and we sail on NCL to avoid assigned dining seating with sick people.

(BTW, DH is 62; he has Alpha-1 Antitrypsin deficiency which caused the emphysema. Please be sure you have a full diagnosis which includes screening for Alpha-1, as there is a replacement therapy for Alpha-1 that slows the progression of the disease.)

We stopped in Puerto Chiapas two years ago and I took the Mexican Cooking tour. I thought it was a 7-8 out of 10.

We got on the bus with the tour guide who told us about the area and the various crops raised in the area as we passed by them. The city of Tapachula is not attractive and a little depressing. We made our way to a local hotel where they ushered us to a covered patio. There was a mariachi band that played music. They gave us a margarita making demonstration and a choice of margaritas that were on the small side. They then showed us how to make a tortilla, leaf wrapped fish and guacamole. We received a little booklet with these recipes. While the fish cooked we played a game with spanish words. Our team won and we each got a shot of tequila!

Then we were invited to walk around the hotel and see the rooms. This was the part of the tour that was a little odd. They had a wing they had just finished and they wanted us to see them. We then got on the bus and traveled through Tapachula.

It was a fun day, and I got to see another part of the world.

Both hotels suggested are very nice. I was researching hotels in that area for the night before a conference at the Luxe. I stayed at Hotel Angeleno. They have a nice restaurant and room service, too. If you want something on the lower end of the price range I believe there is a Holiday Inn close by as well.

I have always seen lots of people on loungers outside Cagney's on deck 13. It is away from the pool, but under the overhang, so there is shade.

Also, after our last cruise we booked two more cruises. I only had one FCC and was kicking myself until my PCC said I had up to, I think, 90 days to purchase another for $250 and then I would get $75 OBC on the cruise I booked using it.

I have often read people getting invited to tour the new ship or an event on the new ship prior to its first US sailing. I read some Cruise Critic members got invitations to the event for the Getaway. I was wondering how you get the invite. Do you have to know someone in the corporate office or is there a specific criteria you have to match?

 

Just curious how I can get in on the events.

In my experience the person who coordinates the Meet and Greet with the Group Services Coordinator can ask about special activities. The GSC figures out what might be possible and provides a sign up sheet at the M&G.

I've done a Bingo type ice breaker twice. It is a Bingo board with a different statement in each square, i.e., "First time on NCL", "Is left-handed", "Has been to [a port on this cruise]", "First time on [this ship]". The center "Free" square is "Currently aboard the Norwegian [ship name]" which everyone is. The idea is to find someone who fits the information on the square, ask their name and username and that person signs the square. I brought 3-4 small gifts like a mini flashlight or some post-it notes and a pen, things useful on the cruise, as prizes for the first 3-4 who get 5 in a row.

The first time it was a small group, and it was a great ice breaker; people got up and really tried to meet and talk to each other. The second time was a larger group and there were some very competitive people who just wanted to win and get the prizes. It was a little crazy. :cool:

We do not drink sparkling wine and have had a variety of responses to our request to exchange it for a red wine. It seems to depend on your butler, the concierge, the ship, the hotel director, etc., and possibly the level of your suite.

Juremar, for sure! And Mary Jane!

We booked a red-eye flight to arrive the morning of the cruise. A week or two before the cruise the airline changed the flights around so we would arrive an hour away from the port around noon. Well, that was way too close for us. You never know when they are going to have an issue with a late flight. So since the airline made the change, we could change flights as long as they went to and from the same airports. We changed to a flight that arrived at 9:00 am. Even so, we were nervous the whole time about delays, and told ourselves we would never again fly the same day.

Since that time I have been on a few flights that have been cancelled or delayed. It seems it is happening more often.

We have done the PC cruise three times - twice on the Jewel, once on the Pearl - because we found we love the longer cruises. We like the mix of port days and days at sea. We chose WB because of the time changes, love those extra hours of sleep. This last April we were on the Jewel and the Kids' Program was in operation. I went by to see what it was like as our grandson will be with us on our next cruise. The kids were preparing for a circus performance using stilts and some easy gymnastics. I doubt that the ship would cancel the children's program because of low numbers, and I think the kids would get more attention with lower numbers.

As stated, front view is definitely the best for the canal but I'd always book an aft cabin compared to a side cabin for any cruise.

 

We had a deck 10 forward Owner's Suite for our recent canal cruise. We "shared" the suite all day during the canal transit with about 35 people from the Cruise Critic Roll Call, who came and went all day. It was great with our 2 balconies -- front and starboard side balconies. Easy to come in to the air-conditioned cabin to cool off before going back out on a balcony.

 

We served Mimosas and our butler provided several platters of snacks.

 

Join your cruise's roll call and hopefully you'll have that option. :D

Linda, my Mom is still talking about how kind you were to open the cabin. That was the highlight of the transit. Thank you again!!

Mary

Our first choice, hands down, is a forward suite on deck 9 or 10. We have done the Canal twice from an Owner's Suite (Pearl and Jewel) and once from the Haven. We felt the view from the side was not nearly as good as the view from the front of the ship. The view going into the locks can't be beat.

But, that is not what you asked, so given a choice between side and aft, I'd go for aft, since you can see both sides of the locks, which is great fun.

Contacting the GSC as early as possible will make your first dinner a good experience. My mother needs a low-salt diet. Pre-cruise we notified the Access Desk. We were told then the GSC would contact us as soon as we got on the ship. At our first dinner, in the MDR, we had not yet been contacted, so we asked about how the system worked. They told us that there are two servers who take on the extra duty to coordinate special diets. Felicitas was our main contact. We would talk with her as soon as the menus were out and she was very good at knowing the ingredients and what needed to be pre-ordered and what could be ordered at the table with low salt. She was also familiar with all the specialty restaurants' menus, and was able to help us pre-order those meals as well.

Looking back I realize this doesn't exactly answer the OP's original question, but I hope it helps some. :o

We have sailed on the Pearl, the Jewel, and the Star. We love the Pearl! With that said we were a little apprehensive about trying the older Sun. (We are suites fans...) We booked the OS for a 7-day Pacific Coastal specifically to try her out.... and loved it! The Sun may be older, but it never, ever felt crowded, well, maybe once when the movie let out. We loved the suite, very spacious, and the crew was outstanding. I liked the midship MDR over the midship MDR on the Jewel and Dawn class ships; it is much more spacious and elegant.

We have booked the South America trip on the Sun and are very eager to be back on her again. I hope you try her and like her.

Just wondered if anyone might know if NCL Sun has Zumba classes offered and if it is an extra cost? Also, does anyone recall if they have a slot tournament on the Sun? Thanks in advance!

FWIW, I looked through the Freestyle Daily for our Pac Coastal last September on the Sun. It showed "ZumZum with Ollie" twice in the 7 days and there was no fee associated with it.

We'll be on Deck 12 of the Star. And traveling with family in a suite on a different deck. What is the phone used for? Calling another phone in the suite? Calling the butler? Are there randomly placed courtesy phones as an alternative? It doesn't sound like a big deal, but I also don't yet know how long it will regularly take us to get from point to point.

Many suites have a portable phone which can be carried about the ship and used to call anywhere on the ship. You will be able to call any cabin, the butler, concierge, and they are able to call you as well. I think that when someone calls your cabin the portable phone rings anywhere on the ship as well. Yes, there are courtesy phones throughout the ship as well.

:)