Suite Heart

1 hour ago, FLAHAM said:

Room cleaners in pre- and post-cruise hotels deserve a daily tip.  Shore excursion driver and guide deserve a tip.  Dollars or euros?  Both are welcomed.

Yeah, I find that a lot of peeps don't think to leave a tip for "housekeeping" during, or at the end of, a hotel stay. These room cleaners generally work very hard and don't get paid a lot, so a few $$ is gratefully accepted.

17 hours ago, CILCIANRQTS said:

Officers encounter 100k to 250k people per year!!
They won’t remember you, so why try so hard to keep track of them??
All will gladly respond “I remember you!” after you remind them of the cruise you were on, but they don’t…

I was remembered by a head bartender on The Joy last March from TWO years previously when I sailed on the Getaway. As I walked into the bar, a voice called out, " Miss ______ !  (My nickname; NOT the name that shows up on their cheat sheets.) Now THAT'S impressive!

15 minutes ago, wolft927 said:

So, we arrived at the terminal at approximately 9am, dropped off our luggage parked the truck and went straight into the Haven entrance. Check in was simple and easy and took all of about 15 minutes from truck to Haven area in terminal. It’s now 10am and still see people disembarking the ship which seems late to me. Will update once we start to board, by the way I think the new Miami terminal is amazing! 

Looking forward to your updates. Thanks for doing that!

21 hours ago, wolft927 said:

Thank you! I will say if anyone has a chance, the strawberry mojitos at the mojito bar in the marketplace are amazing! 

Just added that to my list of "must trys." Thanks!

5 hours ago, SeaShark said:

Lots of information on Shore Excursions and other off-ship experiences can be found on the Cruise Critic forums covering these activities.

 

Try: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/308-private-islands/

Thank you! I'll check it out.

4 hours ago, FlGoodShips said:

Yes

Great! See all of you at the Meet n Greet!

1 minute ago, wolft927 said:

I am going on the April 8th Cruise not 15th

The Joy for April 8th is the third one down.

There are 4 pages.

52 minutes ago, wolft927 said:

This is so true! We won Haven bids past 2 NCL Cruises, this one we simply booked it lol...First time in Aft Facing Haven suite, I know people say the vibration, but i worked on board cruise ships for 5 years, and never had a vibration that affected me to the point it impacted the actual vactation

Yeah...I was told a loooong time ago to book the lowest priced cabin IN THE CATEGORY YOU WANT, just to not be disappointed. So, once we sailed The Haven, that was it!

Sadly, my husband is no longer with us, so I've chosen to sail alone. In The Haven. Ye$, pricey. That's why I take only one vacation a year.

40 minutes ago, wolft927 said:

The CC Roll Call has virtually been non existent for tis sailing. Very odd and I do not have Facebook 

When you're on the main "Boards"  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/ 

scroll down to "Roll Calls"

click on "Norwegian Cruise Lines Roll Calls" which takes you to https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/66-norwegian-cruise-line-roll-calls/

scroll down to "Norwegian Joy Roll Calls" where you will have the option to choose which month you are cruising

The Joy April 15, 2023 is the first listing (!) https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?type=forums_topic&search_and_or=or&search_in=titles&nodes=803&q=Apr April

There are currently 10 pages. Just post asking to be added and there ya go!

Looking forward to seeing you on board!

22 hours ago, Topdog52 said:

Do you know the difference between a Club Balcony Suite, Suite and the Haven?

Yep. $$$🙃

And, of course, if the ship you're going on has The Haven complex (The Joy does have all that.), you have a private restaurant, bar, pool. and courtyard. Also a butler and a concierge.

There is a problem with The Haven, though. All together now: 🎵🎵 "Once you do The Haven, there's no going back,"

On 4/3/2023 at 9:07 AM, FlGoodShips said:

So looking forward to your review. Enjoy.

We will be on Joy April 15th.  First time.

Could you post list of officers? Thank you.

Have you signed up for the Meet & Greet? I see some peeps from Boca are listed.

Looking for info on how it was/is. I'm considering this ShorEx. Pros and cons are welcome.

Thanks! 🐷

57 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

@Sydneyberlin Your are more than welcome.  It is not as much of a science as it is a pleasure.  Take it one step at a time.  Really.  I wrote this stream because I wanted folks to get all the value they wanted when they paid a premium for the Haven.  Also, to have realistic expectations  when they finally sailed.  You can guess, I might have had some less then great experience over a 44 year cruising life.  I will suggest a couple of things to consider, if I might.  I am sure, you might have read some of this on the stream but you kind words came at a very good time. 

 

1. Online Registration:  Do it the moment you can. Get it over with.  Remember, when in the Haven, you can board when every the ship has been cleared.  I still request the earliest boarding time because I simply love the Pre-Cruise Port Haven area especially in the New NCL Terminal in Miami.
2. Carry On Luggage: The escort from the Haven port lounge takes you to the Haven Courtyard.  Drop off you Carry on luggage in your suite so you can explore.  Your suite might not be ready but it is a very nice perk.
3. Room Service:  There is no service fee and your butler or a member of their team brings you room service.  Let them know you prefer to order off the Haven Menu when doing room service as long as the Haven Restaurant is open. 
4. Prime Rib and Lobster Tails:  My favorite prime rib is in Cagney's with the Haven Restaurant as a very close second.  It is ok to ask for a Lobster tail with it.  I know, I did it many times. 
5. Smoking Cocktail at the Haven Bar:  Wait for a time when they are not busy and ask for a smoking cocktail.  It is a show and worth seeing.  
6. Lunch when you Board:  I always go to the Haven Restaurant except once.  That was because I was outvoted by my family.  The regretted that decision.  They usually give you the choice of the American Diner as a perk day one lunch.  If you choose the American Diner, do yourself a favor and order the milkshake.  It will cost extra but worth it.  Made my meal if I had to miss the Haven Burger. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Hi, Gary! (You Old Grouch, you😆)

Hope you're doing well. Still waiting to run into you and your fam on a cruise. I'm sailing the Joy in April. Yeah...in the Haven. (No wonder I can only afford one vacation a year. LOL!!!)

I was on the Joy i March, and they have single and double go carts. Check the freestyle daily for what times of the day they are available.

Found some info at NCL. This applies to 13-day cruisetours on the Encore Aug 2022 and Mid-May through August of 2023.  Just "mouse-around" to find some pretty good info on what you'll be getting...

https://www.ncl.com/cruises/13-day-denali-explorer-pre-cruise-cruisetour-SBDENALIEXPENCENCORE7SEAJNUSGYKTNVICSEA?numberOfGuests=4294953449&sortBy=featured&autoPopulate=f&from=resultpage&itineraryCode=SBDENALIEXPENCENCORE7SEAJNUSGYKTNVICSEA#anchor-datePrice

For other NCL Alaska cruisetours:

https://www.ncl.com/vacations/compare?package=cruise-tour&=&currentPage=2&pageSize=5&state=-1&itinerary1=12nbdenalifaibnkssun7vanktnjnusgywqf&itinerary2=12sbdenalifaibnkssun7wqficyjnusgyktnvan

Hope this helps. Happy cruising!

To anyone that has done the NCL land-sea package to Alaska:

During the 6-day land portion, are there excursions offered by NCL? Or is it a do-it-yourself?

How are the hotels that NCL provides for the land portion?

Since the first two nights are in Fairbanks, shall I take a chance and NOT fly in day early, so if something happens with my flight, I can just catch up with the group at the hotel the next day?

And last, but not least, any extra spectacular sights/sites I should be sure to see/visit?

TIA, cruising peeps!

1 minute ago, julig22 said:

Wish I knew.  I dropped subtle hints but didn't get any bites.😁

hee-hee

1 minute ago, julig22 said:

Had one like that and we sometimes double-teamed to get what I wanted (there are things that you can request as a customer, pcc had no problem when I went over her head to get the results I wanted).  But she got promoted.  So my new pcc is in training mode as far as I'm concerned, even tho he's been with the company for a long time.

Out of curiosity (again LOL), what did she get promoted to?

If I recall correctly, you have to go to the CruiseNext desk and inquire about signing up for those activities. They will tell you that the activities are not available, but "we will give you a $50 OBC." At least that's the way it was on the Joy in March 2022.

On 5/29/2022 at 6:43 PM, julig22 said:

.... I do a mock booking and then process the deposit through my pcc so he gets the credit.  It's the least I can do since chances are I'm going to modify that reservation multiple times before I actually cruise.

9 hours ago, ziggyuk said:

 

...a  good PCC is worth their weight in gold solving problems, they have direct contact within NCL and a good one knows who to talk to to get problems solved.

9 hours ago, ziggyuk said:

 

I use a PCC in favour of a TA knowing full well I am giving up some potential OBC in exchange for the benefits I get from my PCC.

My PCC has been with me for over 10 years. I wouldn't dream of changing. She has handled everything from minor/silly questions to a full-on "change EVERYTHING."  I can't imagine a better or more helpful and friendly PCC. She has even made a change for me that shouldn't have been able to be made! (Nope, not giving any details. But it was amazing!) She's a rockstar! If she ever retires, I'll have to stop cruising. As if...🙃

I have a great PCC; not looking to change. I wouldn't want to ask her this, 'cause it's a bit personal.

How do the PCCs get paid? Is it a percentage of the cruise price, or a flat fee per cruise, or salary, or maybe salary plus commission?

Or industry secret? (K'know, they could tell us but they'd have to  kill us. 😆)

I have had flights that were a bit too early for my tastes (I am NOT a morning person); after all, with TSA, etc., you should be at the airport 2+ hours early. But the earliest flight time I've had when booked by NCL was 7:55 a.m.

I am old enough to remember when NCL used to fly you in the day before the cruise, and put you up in a partner hotel at no additional cost. Old enough meaning that they flew us in on pteranodons . . 😝

On 5/28/2022 at 6:45 AM, MoCruiseFan said:

NO. every single person who has sailed the Joy since the restart has been infected.

I beg to differ. After testing negative at the port, I sailed on the Joy for a 7-day W Caribbean. Got tested right after I got home (by professionals, not home test), and again a week later. Negative both times. So, NO. "Every single person..." has NOT been infected.

Here's hoping that your post should have had a " s/ "at the end of it. It did sound facetious, though. You do get points for that. 🙃

On 4/2/2022 at 5:31 PM, joekatie said:

Just checking in to see if this dude survived the cruise?  Had troubles with drinks on day one and never heard another word. 

Dude.

I survived, but since I didn't remember that NCL and CruiseCritic websites are FREE, I used up my minutes not realizing I could have go on. And on. And on.

Do the speedway! Do the Galaxy Pavilion (which NCL misspells, BTW 🙃 ) : the VR "rides" are really great! And Laser Tag. However, just carry along your key card and little else. There's no where to stash your stuff while playing. Oh, no food or drink allowed, either.

Haven was wonderful, as usual. Gary's right about it getting a bit crowed at the bar itself.

We skipped the Costa Maya port because the winds were so high.

Disembarkation was smooth enough, but getting on the NCL-provided buses to the airport...well, be patient. A LOT of other people are going to the airport, too.

On 3/28/2022 at 9:29 PM, Sand and Seas said:

Have you seen what the charge is for testing at the port yet?

(Our local testing sites are closing 10 days before our cruise😒)

The charge is $99 and will show up on your on-board account as "reception."