Mandalay5

@Ladyshopper23 that was exactly the info I was looking for-thank you! Since the bulk of this sailing is in Brazil, that would be add up quickly for sure.

I understand that Brazil charges a 25% VAT tax on purchases at ports or in ‘their’ waters. Can anyone tell me from experience how this works with FAS? Tax on drink value like at US port or on the “over $15” amount? Tax on the value of a free meal? Shore excursions? Any info appreciated!

We were in 12922 last December. No strange noises, but having the bedroom door was awkward-you had to enter the bedroom and close the door to get past the bed. Other than that, the cabin is wonderful.

@ReubenR thanks for the tip! There’s never enough plugs for me, so I’ll definitely need adapters.

Thanks!! We’ve always gone to the restaurant or MDR since (even in the Haven) there’s not a lot of table space in the cabin. Looking forward to dinner on the deck for sure!

@Sailing12Away DS is getting the middle room, quite the upgrade from his usual sofa bed or 2nd bedroom assignment. Random questions-is there an outdoor shower to cool off when hot tubbing? Is there an option for MDR meal delivery or just room service menu/specialty restaurant meals for dinner? Thanks for info-it’s our first time in a non-haven suite.

These pictures are great!! Now the real question for @us2you and @Sailing12Away which of the big bedrooms do I want to make sure I claim???

@us2you thank you!!!

@us2you we are a GV on the Star in December-do you by chance have any interior pics from your trip? I can’t find anything post-remodel online. Please and thank you!!

Yes, please! Next cruise isn’t until December and I need every vicarious fix I can get.

We booked a Star DOS for the same price as the spa balcony from our cancelled Epic cruise in December. I’d love to have the Haven dinner menu and pool, but I’m thrilled with the lower cost. The ‘real’ Haven is getting a little out of reach lately, especially for a port intensive cruise where we’re too tired to do much more than strap on the buffet feed bag at night.

I totally agree with you-it will be interesting to see what changes with the update

Wonder if maybe the Haven will lose their observation lounge to add more Haven rooms? To me, that makes more sense than removing the regular observation lounge.

The vendor only cared that he had a ticket

On our last cruise, DH wanted to do an NCL fishing excursion and I wanted to stay on board. Since I was the 1st person on the res. I booked myself for the discount and he used the ticket.