Bella99

Thanks all - good to know 

Hi everyone.  Am looking at a South America/Antarctica cruise on Oosterdam in an outside cabin.  What are the views from the indoor public areas like?  Should I consider a balcony?  Thanks for your thoughts

I usually sail RCL and feel meal packages there are worth it. I got one on NCL epic in August and didn’t feel the quality in the specialty restaurants was worth the extra. The meals in the MDR were great

I cruised NCL epic in August with a 3 day specialty dining package which I woul not bother with again. In my opinion, their MDR food was way better than RCL (Rhapsody, Voyager, Ovation) but the specialty restaurants were just so so. Specialty restaurants on RCL are definitely a step up from their MDR

I stayed in one on Epic this summer and it was fantastic. Perfect size for one with plenty of storage and a big comfy bed. Solo travellers gathering was a great place to meet people and we met up for dinner each night and activities afterwards. Our solo host, TT really made the trip for us.

we will be in the NOrwegian spirit leaving next week and have seen Barcelona. WE say on Barcelona day tours the excursion above. The private tour is quite expensive so we were wondering if it is a worthwhile day? It is for myself and a young adult. What is there to see or do there?

Hi. I am on Epic on Sunday and have booked this tour through trip advisor/Viator (explore Catalunya is the operator) for much less than Barcelona day tours. They have 5 star reviews on trip advisor. The one challenge is you need to meet at their office near Placa Catalunya about 8.30. Normally not a challenge but not sure with taxi strike. They say it only goes Tues, Thurs and Saturday but have confirmed my Sunday booking.

Sailed Epic twice in the med soon to be a third and each time secured passes for Posh, its the best 59$ i have spent and will be aiming to have to again this time. As its a port intensive cruise it dose be very quite. Bartenders are great and look after you as if your a priority, i wouldnt do Epic any other way. I have always used it on day 1 with no problems.

Hi Keith. Well done! Have you boarded in Barcelona or Rome? And what time did you get to the pier? Also assume you had some kind of priority boarding?

Hello again! Not long till you leave now. Have a great time and please do come back in here and share any new tips :)

For the two main shows, Burn the Floor and Priscilla Queen of the Desert, you can make reservations online on you MyNCL account 90 days prior to sailing (100 days if you are in the Haven). Once onboard, you can make reservations for one (of the many) comedy shows. You can go to other shows as a stand-by guest.

 

The 7-day cruises are much more rushed to get people into the shows. The TA should be more relaxed.

 

Book a session in the Escape Room "Escape the Big Top" (free, but sells out fast on embarkation day). Work with others to solve puzzles within 45 minutes to win a prize.

 

Extra fee things to try: Cirque dinner show is wonderful.

 

We have sailed on the Epic many times. Enjoy!

Thanks for the tips. Where do you need to go to book the escape room?

Hi, By 10 am you'll be able to drop off luggage & then check in. It's a less than 10 minute cab ride from the port check in area to the bottom of Las Ramblas & that's only due to port security. Once you're checked in you'd have the whole day worry free & plenty of time to do both tours.

 

You would only need to be back on board by 4:15 or so in time for the sail away. Enjoy!

Hello. Are you saying that it is possible to board the ship then leave again on embarkation day or do you just mean you can check in? And if you check in does that mean you can then avoid the queues if you come back around 3 or 4?

Thanks Sparkles! Yes some of the mixed reviews had me a bit apprehensive but your cruise is what you make it right?

Your advice here certainly helps and I’ll head over to the ports of call boards for some more detail about excursions. Funny, I booked this cruise for a bit of relaxation after a 2 week coach tour which will see me moving hotel every day or 2 days and yet here I am wanting to plan it down to the last detail as well!

Enjoy your upcomg cruise

Hi all. First time NCL cruiser here booked for studio cabin on Epic out of Barcelona in August.

Hoping to get answers to a few questions please

With no special boarding priority what time should I be looking to arrive at the port in Barcelona?

On some other lines, if they clear customs early at a tender port they sometimes allow you to board up until original tender start time without a reservation/ticket. Do they do this on NCL or do they just bring first reservation forward?

Interested in going to Cinque Terre from Livorno but not on a ships tour. Obviously hoping to be able to join a group from CC roll call but in the event this is not possible, has anyone ever done by public transport?

Same thing with Amalfi and\or Positano out of Naples - any suggestions.

Has anyone used bags and go to manage their luggage in Barcelona? Specifically looking to get it picked up from the hotel and taken to ship so I can do some sightseeing day of departure. Do I collect it and hand over to porters or is it delivered to porters for me so next I would see it would be in room?

Yes, I am a planner but I know lots of you are too so looking forward to your advice!

Hi there. Yes to both.

Kamakura will give you a nice taste of traditional Japan and is easy to get to from Yokohama. Mt Fuji is do-able but I would recommend a tour as it can be a bit tricky on public transport from Yokohama

I would definitely recommend Shinjuku as it is easy to get around for sightseeing and also much easier to grab an evening meal. Tokyu stay is great. They have many hotels around Tokyo but, once again, their new hotel in Shinjuku (opened in May last year) is a perfect location. Just be sure to go for the Shinjuku one (Shinjuku sanchome) and not the south Shinjuku one.

Hi Aussie. Sorry to hear your cruise wasn't as expected. Do you have any advice for those of us who are booked to cruise out of Hong Kong later this year? Or specific gripes even? What time did you board? Were they enforcing board times? Any tips on things to book/arrange early on to prevent problems? Is the ship smoke free as other rcl ships or do they make concessions to local habits? Don't mean to bombard you with questions - any advice you have is much appreciated.

Hi there. Will be doing this itinerary November this year. This will be the first time so that is why you can't find much information about it. Drinks packages and optional tours have been online since about February. Dining packages much later - about June I think.

I don't know about jewel but the coffee shop on rhapsody has several alcoholic coffee options. I think the one I tried was called Uncle Jimmy and was coffee with frangelico, baileys and kahlua.

Another vote here to break the trip up by a stopover in Hawaii if time allows. If that's not possible and you plan to fly coach I would suggest trying to get a flight on an A380 if there is one on offer to your destination. Qantas has had some pretty good deals lately so may be worth signing up to their emails, along with any other carriers you might be considering. Finally, I see you had a question about which airport is best to fly into. If you plan on seeing a few cities in Australia you should maybe consider flying in to one and out of another as domestic flights can be organised relatively cheaply (in consideration of your strong dollar) but be aware on luggage restrictions on domestic flights so plan to do most of your shopping at your last stop.

True. Have also heard they allow smoking in the casino on Asian cruises - no more short cuts for me! The sold out in 3 days in the shops is an interesting one - haven't been on Legend but don't imagine she would have more than 2 or 3?

I'm wondering if it's because they are expecting passengers on the HKG cruises to contribute more to profits via the casino?

I've found aqua waikiki wave good post cruise. Simple clean hotel - no pool or extras - just behind where international marketplace was. Close to restaurants, shops, short walk to beach but the big bonus if staying a few days is there is a laundromat a few doors up... It's been a year since I was there though so check trip advisor for recent reviews - don't know if any construction is going on nearby that could make it noisy?

I did this last year on Crystal. Just know that if the seas are not calm, snorkeling may not be the greatest and the ride may not be fun, very rough, and lots of spray. Overall, I wouldn't do it again unless I was actually staying there and could wake up in the morning, look at the weather and then decide. You are not alone as there may be several boats carrying lots of tourists vying for their day in the island sun as well.

Agreed. I had the advantage of being there on a gorgeous day but not a snorkelling destination in my book...

As a former tour guide I'll throw in my 2 cents worth (which at current exchange rates is a bit over a penny):eek:

Absolutely not required or expected. And from a personal satisfaction/pride in what I do perspective I never cared how much or what currency if a tip ever was offered - I was just pleased that I had made enough impression on my guests that they felt they wanted to reward me. And those singles certainly come in handy when on holidays in the US (what goes around comes around?) or even paying for smaller items in countries like Vietnam or Thailand when you don't have local currency and will just let them keep the change.

On that topic and to answer the rest of your question, rather than tipping a set percentage or amount when in taxis or restaurants you will find that people will just leave the change. This will often end up being just 5% or an amount that would indeed be an insult in the states but here will just get put into a general "pool" and shared amongst staff if not kept by the individual. This obviously only applies when using cash - when paying by card you'd just enter your pin (or sign your slip) and that would be it. (If there are any restaurant staff out there who want to correct me on that I'm happy to be brought up to speed with current etiquette)