Liffey

We never heard a peep in 7258 (on Spirit) from the steward area, and we like to spend *lots* of time in the room. (On this trip a little more time than we liked - 7258 still wasn't quite long enough to escape the chain-smoking neighbours, lol.) I was also listening for noise since I'd read here that it might be a concern. Zero issues!

Still waiting for someone to design a Club 7258 membership shirt. ;) Enjoy!

Thanks all. :) Having loved the suite so much on Splendor, I think we'd kick ourselves if we didn't try it on Pearl, tricky knees and ladders and all. I don't think it will be too bad, but I'll keep my expectations low and report back in July. :)

DH and I are really excited to be going on our first Norwegian cruise (and first Alaska cruise) this summer.

One of the reasons we chose NCL (other than the freestyle philosophy - so happy to not have to hope for Your Time Dining or beg for a two-top on Carnival this time!) is because Pearl has a thermal suite. I know it's not fully co-ed like the one we've enjoyed so many times on Carnival Splendor (alas), but I'm sure it's still really great.

I have a question about getting in and out of the thalasso pool, though. From what I can see online, it looks like there's a vertical ladder in and out, as opposed to the gradual steps on Carnival's ships. If so, do the steps on the ladder go down pretty far so that it's easy to use?

I have a tricky knee, plus I'm an "extra fluffy" gal, so a vertical ladder might be a problem. :) It just depends on how deep the pool is and how deep the ladder goes, which is hard to tell from photos. Can anyone share their experiences? Thanks!

So many black/white replies. It really depends on what kind of student she is, what she is studying, and what the syllabus is for those exact courses.

If you can get the syllabus for each class ahead of time to review attendance policies and due dates, that will help. However, these are often tweaked (if not overhauled) from year to year, and vary from professor to professor (except for uni-wide policies), and odds are won't be available until the first day of class. (Sometimes not even then.) It's worth a try, though. (Although I wouldn't tell these profs why I was asking.)

As for what kind of student your daughter is, that might completely change once she is in college. She might become a procrastinator, might find she struggles with unfamiliar forms of assessment, might not have the amount of study time she expects due to new interests/commitments - who knows? She won't know until she's in the swing of things.

I understand wanting to book early, get the best price, pick the best room, lock in a dining preference, and her wanting to get in one more cruise before the 18-20 "dead zone" is also understandable. But waiting until the last minute to book if possible just seems like the safest thing. (What if she is sick for the week before the cruise and then has to cope with missing two weeks?) If it doesn't work out, maybe you can really splash out for her 21st instead? :)

Anyone following this thread may be in interested in responding to one of John Heald's questions on Facebook today. He asked if people would be interested in having the Indian Vegetarian Dinner from the first night available every night.

Perhaps if people show more support for Indian there ("the beards are listening"), who knows what will happen? :) Isn't it Princess that has a different Indian option on the main menu every night? (Hopefully it's Princess - I don't want to out myself for being disloyal recently and looking at other cruise line menus - lol.)

Anyway, I said heck yes to John's question. That same old - usually solitary - option for vegetarians in the MDR has really been getting me down. I think this next cruise - back on Splendor, because no one in this price range has a great spa that is also fully co-ed so I can enjoy it with my husband - I'm special ordering Indian every night we're not in the steakhouse. :p

Take it, take it, take it!

If you are balcony people, it's worth it.

If you aren't balcony people, you will become balcony people. ;)

Here's a link to my pics of 7258 on Carnival Spirit (interior and exterior) which, as has already been said, is really just the same (except for only two people): http://www.shari.com/2011/01/carnival-spirit-cabin-7258-aka-balcony-porn.html

Oh, and to answer a question that kept coming up before we cruised and may help someone searching later: our balcony had one lounger, two tables, and three chairs. Each chair looked the same, but they each had a very different width/feel when you actually sat down - a true Goldilocks situation! (Also, one reclined a bit.) Our steward brought us a second lounger on request, but he couldn't remove any chairs (no place to store them - no big deal). The chairs/lounger were all the blue nylon type. The cabin next to ours - sleeps four with slightly longer balcony - had two loungers by default. Anyway, our steward (go Sai!) was happy to get us the second lounger, so don't be afraid to ask. :)

I can't wait for our spa cabin on Splendor, but after 7258, that balcony will be such a let down... :)

Some photos to go with the OP's post (as I was sitting right across from him :D) -

Chicken Makhani, Mutter Paneer, Salad, Pickled Mango, and Rice Pilaf:

Mutter Paneer, Navratan Korma (nice sauce but a bit heavy on gobi/cauliflower), and Rice Pilaf:

Sides of pappadums, dal, and tortillas (tortillas?):

It was all soooo good, although I do prefer the rice that comes with the regular MDR Indian Vegetarian Dinner on the first night. (I'm a sucker for caraway.)

Do you just let your waiter know or someone else?

Our head waiter told us to let the hostess know. The hostess referred us to a junior hostess who was in charge of the book of special meals, consulting with the chef, etc.

(She was really excellent, especially when it turned out there was a change in menu rotation due to the New Year's Eve special menu. She made sure that we still got the meal we wanted, and not the meal on the new schedule. Huge applause for Milica on Spirit!)

I know that Indian food is generally spicy. Will they done this down for you?

No harm in asking. If you're the only party ordering, perhaps they can cook it to spec (like in a regular Indian restaurant), but if others are ordering the same meal (veg or non-veg) then it may be less likely.

They didn't ask us how we like it; it ended up being "medium" to us. The mutter paneer was definitely a smidge hotter than what you get off the regular menu the first night. The navratan korma was not really hot at all.

(If you mean spicy as in the variety of the mix of spices, not the heat, then you're better off sticking to the Indian Taste of Nations at the buffet or the Tandoor if your ship has this. :) )

I'd love to do this, but we have Your Time Dining. We usually arrive right at 6 anyway, think they will let me pre-order these if I let them know what time I will arrive the next night?

We had YTD and it was no problem. You don't have to let them know what time you will arrive, although the chef may appreciate the info.

Are garnishes available? I have an idea for something, but it needs a few maraschino cherries to live up to its (hopefully) clever name. :)

Great thread! Add me in as another fan of these cabins. Love being up high, love having the deck right below, and love that there aren't many cabins on this deck. (That's a lot of love - this is beginning to resemble an Air Supply song. Oh, and I love being close to the Lido, etc.!)

Below is a link to photos I took of our cat 11 on Elation. We had V14, but the pics include a close-up of V2's balcony as well as a long shot of all the portside Verandah deck balconies:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hamsters/tags/category11

(Thanks to CJW for pointing me here!)