sunnykat

Just returned from a Dec Rome trip plus 13 day cruise that left from and returned to Civitavecchia. We used Rome In Limo for all transfers plus a Christian themed cathedral tour while in Rome. This company is very well organized and very reliable. They are easy to deal with via email. All 3 transfers plus the tour went exactly as they had detailed. The drivers met us on time in the location they had designated. The vehicles used for each transfer were appropriate for all the luggage we had predicted for 3 people. The tour around Rome was with Enrico. He was a calm, cool driver in the crazy traffic of Rome. He knew his way around the city very effortlessly. Enrico spoke excellent English, which we needed since none of us can speak Italian. He was very knowledgeable about each stop on our tour and gave us lots of good background information. He also helped us arrange a wonderful lunch at a local restaurant. We highly recommend Rome In Limo and would definitely use them again if we are in Rome.

My CC just called to let me know that this cruise has been canceled due to an extended dry dock. He has no idea if it will be rescheduled. There are no other itineraries that come close to this one...so disappointing. 

Having the same issue

My very first cruise, I spent a lot time in the cabin sick w/ a nasty respiratory bug that I acquired day 1 of cruise. Post cruise, I read this tip about cleaning the cabin as soon as you arrive. Now, I always pack a pair or two of disposable gloves, disinfectant wipes and a small bottle of rubbing alcohol mixed w/water. When I get into the cabin, I wipe down the toilet, sinks, shower controls, door handles, drawer pulls, ALL smooth surfaces, phone and remote control just to be on the safe side. Call me nutty but so far it has worked for us 15 cruises later. Hope you have a wonderful trip!

I'm on the side of cruising post land travel. We had moved around so much from hotel to hotel that it was so nice to get on the ship and stay put. We had been doing hand laundry everywhere, so it was really great to finally get it all done at once on the ship and not have clothes hanging all over the place. Either order you choose to do it, I'm sure you will have a wonderful vacation.

I was on the Jade 4/14-21/18. We each took 3 bottles and had no issues.

Why should anyone who doesn't pay for Haven access be allowed to enjoy the benefits? It is totally unfair to those of us who do pay the money.

Final word from corporate passenger services: YES suite guests may have the private breakfast/lunch w/Haven guests when on the Jade or any other ship that offers the non-Haven suites. I have been told to direct all future questions to the Concierge Desk as they are the experts on the Haven and Suites. Thank you to everyone who replied to my original question. I rely on this site a lot when planning cruises. The cruisers tend to know more about NCL than its employees. Happy Cruising!

Thank you for posting about your experience. It is very helpful.

Today, I spoke to my CC again and he forwarded me to a res supervisor who assures me this is accurate info. I asked him when this went into effect and he said "it's always been this way". Well no, it hasn't. I have stayed in regular non-Haven suites on other Jewel class ships and been able to have private breakfast/lunch w/the Haven guests. I told him I was on the Jade 11/16 in a regular 2BF suite and had the private dining. Plus, I pointed out that the website lists it as a delicious extra and the on-line chat agents to whom you can pose ship/cruise questions have told me twice that regular suites enjoy this benefit. The super and my CC both told me they have been trained to understand the private breakfast/lunch are only for Haven guests. Regular suites enjoy the benefit ONLY if the ship doesn't offer a Haven level/ex. Sun. The super then referred me to the Concierge Desk as he said "they are quite experienced and used to these questions". I called them and the person to whom I spoke assured me that a regular suite guest is most definitely entitled to the private dining option. My frustration knows no bounds so I have emailed corporate to see if they will answer me. It baffles me as to why the info is so inconsistent and shrouded in such mystery. I will update when/if corporate responds.

No problem! I really hope (and assume) it's just a misunderstanding on the part of your CC..... enjoy your cruise!

My CC is still sticking with his story. He says he researched further and has confirmed he is correct. I guess I will find out for sure in April once I board the Jade.:cool:

Also, it is still listed on the NCL website for "suites and penthouses"... it's under the "delicious extras" tab:

 

https://www.ncl.com/why-cruise-norwegian/cruise-accommodations/cruise-suites-and-penthouses

Thank you for posting this link. You are exactly correct. I had searched the website looking for this info and couldn't find it. I really appreciate your taking the time to respond.

I may have been unclear in my previous post about the dining. I was referring to having private breakfast & lunch in Cagney's (not in-room dining )as a non-haven suite perk. Sorry for any confusion. I would also add that I am a platinum plus cruiser and my CC is the same each cruise, not just whoever answers the phone during a booking. He has always been attentive and his information very accurate. I am still researching whether the perk has been eliminated for non-Haven suites. Thank you to all who have being responding.

I just booked a Caribbean cruise on the Jade for April, 2018. My NCL cruise consultant told me that regular suites do NOT get the private breakfast/lunch dining option any longer. I questioned him multiple times, and he assured me that a regular suite is not entitled to the perk on any ship that offers the Haven level. He stated it is a perk in a regular suite ONLY if the Haven level is not offered (ex. Sun) Anyone out there have a different experience or info? I was stunned that this perk had been removed from the regular suite level. I went back and re-read non-Haven suite descriptions on the Jade and private dining is not listed. Thank you

It sounds to me as if you have been very patient in trying to obtain a response. If you have a cruise consultant then you can request help with contacting the supervisor via that person. It's possible the CC can expedite the contact. If you do not have a CC then try a written request via NCL Customer Service. In the past, I have previously left messages for the Casinos @Sea office and not received a call back for very simple issues so I understand your frustration. Good Luck!

I don't think we ever used the power strip.

I was on the Sun in Jan in 9276. Can't remember how many outlets exactly were in the suite. The two of us each travel with a Kindle, phone and iPad, plus one camera. I do remember an dual voltage outlet at the vanity in the dressing area off the bathroom. The hair dryer was plugged in there, but I just unplugged when needed and charged my phone or ipad. There were outlets at the desk. I also recall charging my camera in the living room area. There was a table beside the sofa and a wall outlet there. We always carry a power strip and a coupe of plug ins with 2 USB ports since life is all about our devices these days. You should be OK for charging your devices.

We were in 9276, a PH suite, January 2017. We had the Nespresso machine. Coffee selections were medium roast, decaf and espresso plus a variety of tea choices.

We sailed your same itinerary at the same time 1/2017 on the Sun. Weather in BA, VAL was in the 80s & worthy of summer clothes. We spent 2 nights pre cruise in BA and 4 nights post in Santiago. We each had a checked bag and a carry on. We kept a log of the temperatures (Fahrenheit): Punta del Este 80s (very, very crowded as it's their high season & long wait to get past security to re-board ship; sea day w/ cooler temps and rain; Puerto Madryn 80s, windy; next was a sea day with rough waters and declining temps; Falkland Islands 46 cloudy, windy, damp with no wifi tip 3 pm; cruise of Cape Horn 40s and very calm seas; Ushuaia rainy 45 in am then improved across the day; Punta Arenas windy, cold, damp in am but warmed to 50s by 11am, wifi out all day; cruising the Chilean Fjords day 1 rough seas day & night, rainy, cold 46, day 2 more rough seas, rainy, chilly 50s; Puerto Chacabuoco rainy, chilly, reached 60 in the afternoon; Puerto Montt cloudy, 80s. We experienced 2 climates. Our packing advice is to think about layered clothes. Don't forget to include a raincoat/jacket, warm vest, hoodie sweater, gloves & hat (depending on your excursion), waterproof footwear, socks. For evening, my standby is wrinkle free, low maintenance black pants and/or skirt and a variety of tops that match-up plus a wrap or two. If you like to exercise on board then don't forget to pack that attire, too. We used the laundry service on the ship at the halfway point. I always pack a few regular clothes hangers, a flexible clothes line, 2 large carbiner clips for attaching it and some clothespins so I can hand launder delicates. Sometimes cruise ships will have a retractable clothesline, but our suite did not. We definitely used our make shift laundry facilities for anything we did not want subjected to the general wash. The Sun also offers dry cleaning services. Wifi & phone service were very spotty on this cruise, particularly around the Falklands and the Cape area. Our favorite excursion was visiting the Penguin colony on the Falkland Islands. The stark terrain plus the close proximity to the penguins was a stunning vista. Our least favorite excursion was the train ride in Ushuaia through the national park. We had a wonderful time on our cruise and bet you will, too. Hope this helps you plan.

YES! to a nonsmoking cruise. I absolutely agree with Two Wheels Only that smoking cruises should cost more.

We have learned to book a reservation in advance for every night of the cruise at a time that we would generally dine at home. We cycle through the MDRs and the specialty restaurants. At least that gives us a plan and a place to eat, and we are not subject to odd dining times or stand by openings. Reservations can always be cancelled if we change our minds. It's especially important on the larger ships that house more passengers. As NCL has started to give away the SDP for "free", we have noticed more people in the specialty restaurants. It is true that it does take away from the Freestyle concept, but we would rather have a plan for our long anticipated cruise than be disappointed when forced to dine @5 or 10pm.

We sailed on the Jade from Tampa the week after Thanksgiving. We arrived at the terminal at 11:15 and the security line was already moving. Check in was also moving rapidly at that time. General ship boarding started just before noon. We had a suite and were supposed to have priority embarkation, but 5 groups of general passengers were boarded before us. :) Didn't really matter because all of us were soon on the ship and enjoying lunch.

Have a wonderful cruise!

Our travel group has 2 aft suites booked for SA in 2017. All the complaints about the bad smells in Aft really got me concerned. I ready every thread I could locate and came to the conclusion that this was a real problem affecting a large section and not just someone with little tolerance complaining about the occasional sewage smell that happens on all cruises. I called NCL Customer service today and inquired about the odor complaints. The person to whom I spoke denied any knowledge. She told me I could inquire via email to customer service and someone would respond in the next 5-10 days. Next, I called the Concierge Desk and the person who answered denied any knowledge of the issue. She did put me on hold while she spoke to her supervisor. Finally, I was told that there had been isolated complaints, that the issue is the water system and that NCL is working on it. She assured me it would all be fixed soon. Somehow, I am skeptical that the problem will be resolved in short order after reading multiple complaints about the odor issue that have persisted for quite awhile. I think NCL is well aware and is attempting to fix it but are simultaneously not willing to cancel cruises and lose revenue (JMO). Apparently, their plan is to keep working on it while letting their Aft guests continue to cruise and suffer the stench. No matter what type of cabin you booked, it would be so disappointing to have your cruise negatively affected by stinky smells. It's a crap shoot on whether to cancel or take a chance the problem will be resolved. We are still thinking it over and may switch to a different cruise line as we have really looked forward to SA.

Even when it is closed passengers can still go in and have a smoke. ;)

As a nonsmoking gambler, I would like to point out that the casino is NOT a lounge for smokers. (and yes, I know the casino is closed in port). I am just saying, don't present the casino as a smoking lounge, because it is not. Smoking is permitted by the gamers since it is a gambling location. Those of us who like to play are most annoyed when smokers come in and sit at the machines to smoke or congregate around machines smoking so they can access ashtrays. Go ahead and throw flames at me, but I have no problem with cigar and cigarette smokers mixing together in the smoking lounge. In fact, I wish smoking rooms where the norm rather than smokers being able to pollute the air that nonsmokers must breathe. I would LOVE to have even more smoke free zones on the ships.