KeithJenner

I can’t be more accurate than that. 🙂

I saw mention of this once before. I assume it was on this forum.

We were in a non Haven suite on the Jade in April and had a butler.

Original

A couple of hours! I don’t think I’ve spent a total of two hours sitting on the pool deck in all my cruises put together. 5 minutes is way too long.

Yeah, this has been a discussion amongst ourselves for some time. I think most people know that.

No, the Haven is on decks 16 and 17. Other rooms are on 14 or below

You are aware that all of NCLs ships (other than POA) were built and fitted out in Europe? if anything, the large warehouse would be in Europe, as that is also where most dry docks are carried out. In recent years, they have positioned ships in Europe for their dry dock year. I’m not sure what NCL do when they need replacement equipment. I suspect that they are fairly standard items, but it is probably easier to obtain in Europe than the US.

Yes, they are recent changes. These rooms used to be called Mini Suites and didn't have the perks. The changes came into effect post Covid.

It would have an impact if you have upgraded to the premium plus package. The tax on some of those drinks could be significant.

Yes, I’d missed that. It seems to confirm that there isn’t a charge with the beverage package. Still not confirmed whether the tax applies for the whole of the cruise on things not covered by the package (not just in port). I don’t see any reason why that would have changed though.

The majority of the answers you have received are talking more generally about how these things usually work, but they aren’t taking into account the specific issues raised by the ship not leaving the EU VAT zone. Unfortunately, I can’t say what the exact situation is right now as I haven’t done the itinerary for a few years, but it is very likely that any answers that just state the usual rules (tax just charged when you are in port, regardless of whether you have the package) are irrelevant for your situation. We need someone who has done the Eastern Med itinerary recently to confirm what the current situation is.

On our last cruise we had an informal meet and greet at the Great Outdoors. One of the attendees was in the Haven and didn’t drink, so they very kindly bought the “champagne” from their room with them for us to all share. It was a nice gesture, and nobody had the heart to explain that is wasn’t real champagne and we would all much rather be drinking what we had ordered from the bar. We had the premium plus upgrade and it took quite a few glasses of Veuve afterwards to get rid of the taste. 🙂

Considering the Epic was built and originally fitted out in Europe as well as having dry docked there, I’d say it’s likely that the sofas were sourced from Europe.

Actually, the thing I hate the most is when staff start singing to people in the restaurants. I’ve cruised on my birthday and anniversaries and we always make sure that we keep it quiet in case they start singing at us. Makes me cringe just thinking about it. On our last cruise (our 25th anniversary) my wife let it slip just before we left Cagneys (she thought we were safe at that point). The maitre d told us to wait so she could do something for us. We had to get quite insistent that we really just wanted to go. 🙂

Not everyone gets the wine now. It was removed as a latitudes benefit when the tiers were revamped a few months ago. A lot fewer people have to find ways of disposing of it these days.

Just as an aside, the SH didn’t used to be a club suite (Spirit has never had them). It is a full suite and will be considerably bigger than a club suite.

Things I hate that others love: Being pampered, made to feel “special” etc. most shows, spas, sitting by the pool, all that sort of stuff.

Correct on the first bit, but they don’t charge it if you have the beverage package (or at least I’m not aware that they do). I’m sure that if they were charging on drinks covered by the beverage package then it would be all over these boards, as it was for the short time that they did so a few years ago.

This cruise has very specific issues, as it never leaves the European VAT area and the tax is chargeable for the entire cruise, not just when in port. I have done the same cruise (boarding in Barcelona) a few times, but not for a few years, so am not totally up to date with it. However, the usual situation is that VAT is charged on any purchases (meals, drinks, shop purchases) that aren't covered by a pre purchased package. Things have changed from time to time. There was a very short period when it was charged on drinks covered by the beverage package, but that only lasted a few years. Unless something has changed recently then you are fine as long as you have the package, but anyone paying per drink gets stung. I also wouldn't wait until boarding before purchasing anything, just in case.

I don’t think it is clear that the ability to upgrade is an indication that rooms are actually available. They just appear to offer everything regardless. I suspect that 5 in the Haven room is probably cheaper than 4 in the Haven and a solo in a balcony. My point (in response to the post I quoted) was that some people are willing to pay these amounts for such a set up, which would suggest that they would be happy with it.

In my experience, the show including local performers in the Baltic was at St Petersburg, and then only on the ships doing regular runs (the standard Copenhagen round trip). I’ve not seen one offered outside St Petersburg.

It would have been Warnemunde/Rostock.

Itinerary changes are not unusual. We have had quite a few over the years, mainly minor but occasionally there have been bigger changes. I have always received an email notification, even if it is just a minor change to port times. My guess is that your TA didn’t pass the information on. I’ve seen a few posts here and on Facebook where people didn’t even know that their cruises have been cancelled and they are almost all TA bookings.

Whether on a ship or a hotel, filling up a room to capacity usually involves someone sleeping on a temporary bed (sofa bed or roll away). It is rarely the most comfortable solution, and if the hotel or ship offered a separate room for that person then they will very likely be more comfortable.