Peachypooh

We ate at the American Diner on the Encore but just once. It was on embarkation day when the Haven people could eat there for free for lunch. I thought the food was excellent. Especially the lobster roll. I don't know if I would pay for the hamburgers, etc.( I didn't try them but did try the fries) since you can get them elsewhere on the ship for free. The lobster roll would have been worth the upcharge.

We rented a cabana. They are close to the pool. The villas are a fair distance away and are beachfront. The water is a pretty blue but the sand is pebbly and rough on the feet. I wore my sneakers the whole time. No waves to speak of when we visited both times.

We always bring 13 gallon white kitchen bags. Good for putting dirty clothes in the suitcase and for garbage. The trash cans on NCL are not lined. Anything that would make a mess in them (like used tea bags, etc. I keep to the side and put in the plastic bag. I try to limit it to just one bag so when it gets thrown out it isn't a huge burden on the recycling system on the ship.

https://www.ncl.com/sites/default/files/ParentGuardianForm_01302012b.pdf

I received an email with a link to the form from NCL. I believe that they have it on their website too. I will try to find it for you.

I have toured the two bedroom on the Jade and it is fine for an adult. Just be aware there is no window but there is a full bathroom (just shower)

Thank you everyone for the help. My daughter and her husband are going to fill out the form so I have it just in case.

I got an email asking for a parental consent form for our upcoming cruise. We are in a Haven cabin with my grandchildren and she and her husband is in a balcony cabin on another deck. I have called NCL and gotten three different answers. One I don't need the form since my daughter and husband are on the ship, two I do need the form since we will be checking in at different cabins and three I need the form regardless. Does anyone have any first hand experience? I asked her to fill it out just to be on the safe side but want to know which answer is right. Thanks.

You are right. Since we love cruising we will be back. I just hope that things improve. We tried Celebrity, RCCL and the now defunct Homelines many years ago. My least enjoyable cruise on NCL was still better than these three. The NCL staff are always kind and helpful which I could not say about Celebrity or RCCL (and we were in their suites) Homelines was a special kind of "adventure" but we were in our 20's so everything seemed fun and hilarious even the bad times. LOL Like when the waiter at dinner was scornful that I ordered jello (I was seasick) and they kept bringing out the same rolls at dinner so by the end they were like cement. My husband carved his initials in one mid week to see if they were the same the next night and they were LOLOLOL This was back when you had assigned seats each night and it was our own individual roll basket.

OK here is my two cents for what it is worth. Everywhere I look and go I am getting less for more money. Case in point. For the past 10 years or so we have been going to the same upscale steak house for an early New Year's Eve dinner. Years ago it was $60 for a champagne toast and four course meal per person.The food was always outstanding. We decided to treat ourselves this year even though they raised the price to $100 per person (ouch). Anyway, the meal was subpar. The portion size was OK but the meat and dessert specifically was basically inedible.....We won't be going back. What has this got to do with NCL? I have been cruising them for a long time and slowly but surely the prices have been going up and the product not as good. I am hoping that my upcoming family cruise will be enjoyable but I told my husband I am going to focus on spending time with family and making memories and going to expect cutbacks and long lines. It is just the way it is. HOWEVER I am totally annoyed at the frequent itinerary changes and port times. It makes it SO hard to plan. Especially for those ships where reservations for things are needed. I have not checked the other message boards but I am pretty sure others have experienced the same things. I hope this will all pass soon so they can adequately staff the crew and buy their provisions so they still make a profit. NCL is still my favorite cruise line. I have tried three other lines and NCL is still the best.

It's just so noisy! We tried to eat at the Local on the Encore and it was deafening due to what was going on in the atrium. Never had a problem with seating but I do avoid it due to the noise level. For super bowl on the Jade they had enough chairs for everyone and for some reason they didn't turn the volume up so high so that was an exception.

I can't quite remember but my guess is that it is.

I have only sailed on RCCL's Liberty of the Seas and I found the main dining room food better on NCL. That said Celebrity has much better cakes and pastries than either of them.

Yes. However sometimes they forget to refill them on turn around day but by the first full day they are full again. (Round see through cannisters near the make up mirror.)

You can book onboard but do it soon. Also do it yourself excursions are great. I do have one guideline that I use because I worry too much LOL. I will only do an independent excursion if in a pinch it would be possible for me to walk back to the ship if needed. For example the lumberjack show in Ketchikan. Easy peasy book yourself and then walk back to ship. Botanical garden in Tortola. The taxi never came back like he promised to so we walked back. An easy 1 1/2 mile or so walk back. Same with tramway in St. Thomas...anything easily walkable. I would stick to ship excursions if you are going to go a long distance. One time we did an indpendent excursion in Curacao and the taxi broke down and we were about 3 miles from the ship. I wanted to start walking but luckily the taxi driver called for a replacement on his radio. Delayed us by 30 min but it could have been worse

I pay about a week before. I have seen enough technical issues with NCL to be wary of waiting until the last minute. Also calling on the phone last day sometimes won't be an option. If there is bad weather or a recent cruise cancellation for other reasons their phone lines can be busy.

In all seriousness if you have parents willing to go or other adults it will make it much easier. Especially if the four year old can bunk with them.My four year old grandaughter slept on our couch and loved it.

I saw on a previous thread that to save money NCL now only offers vanilla and chocolate. Was this humor or real? I don't care because I always have chocolate but if it wasn't humor my husband will be disappointed.

If you can't book before in the reservations for various things section on your account, ask the concierge when you board. As soon as you board they will be making reservations, etc. for people.We didn't do it but it would surprise me if there were no reservations needed.

Are the grandparents going? When we cruise the grandbabies stay with us. It is a time for us to bond with them and for Mom and Dad to have some freedom. Granted the youngest we did this was when one was 3 going on 4 so it is a bit different with a toddler but I would have done it.

I did the city tuk tuk tour in Bonaire. It started and ended right by the pier. The guide drove us through town in an open air vehicle stopping at various places of interest and talking about the history of it etc. It started and ended pretty much on time. Is the snorkel excursion at a local resort or on a boat. We did a snorkel excursion in Bonaire on a visit another time and the driver of the bus stayed pretty much on time. In fact some people were a few minutes late and started running after the bus waving and we had to get the driver to stop and let them on.

On one cruise on the Pearl we saw on embarkation day some furniture out in the hallway in front of a balcony cabin...On disembark day we saw the same furniture in the hall probably waiting to be put back so the answer to that is probably yes.

Sometimes no meet and greet...it depends on the ship.

We stayed as a couple in an owner's suite on the Pearl a few years back. Our daughter, son-in-law and two small children were in a balcony cabin down the hall. The room steward made up the fold out couch every night for the two little ones and they slept in our room. It was allowed.

It is a tender port. We booked a resort pass at a place that has a private pool from a non NCL vendor beforehand. It had a nice beach. Needed to take a taxi there.