SuperMommy

Keep checking your MyNCL account for your stateroom assignment. It could show up anytime. We only did a guarantee once and I don’t quite recall when we knew. You will be able to dine whenever you want in at least three main dining rooms plus the buffet. I’ve been on the Getaway which is very similar and we love the MDR which is the Manhattan Room on the Breakaway. It has live music and a singer and we feel like we are at a wedding. Taste and Savor should be open for breakfast and lunch and you should be able to walk right up or have a minimal wait. There is a noodle bar but we’ve never tried it as it is adjacent to the smokey casino. Finally, O’Sheehans is above the atrium and has some good sandwich options and is open 24 hours.

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Mostly the same as above, but I would add the following....

Unless you are in the Haven, having a room past the midship/forward elevators will cause you to walk, walk, walk, to get to anything that is accessible to you on the ship. The Haven almost cuts this giant ship in half. The first time we were at the mid/forward elevators and the second time we booked I made sure we were between that and the aft.

Avoid: Wine Lovers, the Musical. Awful on all accounts-especially the food. Literally 75% of every plate in the entire went back to the kitchen uneaten...the meat was truly inedible. Most of the wines sampled are only available by the bottle on board so even if you find one you like you’ll be out $40+ if you want to drink it again...or wait to buy it on land for about $18 per bottle.

Do: waterfront for quiet during the day. Sugarcane mojito bar for drinks especially if you have UBP. Also the Tropicana Room is my favorite MDR of any ship I’ve been on. Don’t miss the burn the floor show there around 6 of one evening of the cruise. Other nights a live band and singer make you feel like you’re at a wedding.

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I think this far out that price difference was too good to be true (but not implausible). Are you a single in the cabin? Perhaps the agent misunderstood the price per person. People do make mistakes and with an agent plus NCL there’s even more communication going on. I once had an NCL agent tell me I would have two insides across the hall from each other before I politely pointed out they backed up to each other and we’d have to walk around like 30 rooms to get to each other. Hold your breath, wait for the review, prepare to disappointed and know that you can always try their bidding system later.

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For self walk off, YES! We knew there would be lines. They listed the priority as: walk off/no assistance then Gold/Platinum pre-arranged priority then into flight times/NCL transfers. I would say there were between 200-250 doing self walk off. Some people were waiting a level lower than we were but they might have been Haven. As soon as we exited the elevators there were crew with signs and roped off areas to direct you to the cues. By the time someone from our party got back from checking the cabin one last time the lines were past the Casino and it disappeared somewhere. Be patient and prepared and you will be fine!

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Sorry, we were on the Getaway....not sure if identical to the Escape but we disembarked on deck 7 forward which was above the atrium. We lined up on the game side of O’Sheehans.

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We did this today for an 11:15 am flight out of Miami.

A few lessons....bring your baggage with you to O’Sheehans. It opens for breakfast at 5:30 and it is the closest breakfast area to the Line. We got there around 6:30 and did not have our baggage with us...big mistake. One person ran back for the bags. We put our bags in line and we’re about the 50th or so and the Line extended to the casino within 20 minutes. We ordered Express breakfast...eggs inedible, bacon and hash browns good. Line started moving around 7:45. Through customs in less than 10 minutes, called an Uber which took some coordinating with a friend of the driver calling me because the driver did not speak English. Had to follow her to a lot across the street. My sister did Lyft and her rate was almost $2 less, by the way. The drive was less than 20 minutes and we were dropped off at 8:20 am.

BUT....ship did not dock at 5 am as captain reported it would....it was after 6. 2... you’d better be serious about getting in those lines early...at the ship and at the airport. After we dropped our bags the line to check in was very long at the airport. On the ship the elevators will get very busy and the line will build quickly too. Best of luck.

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On more than 5 cruises with NCL and I can tell you the “freebies” are few and far between and having an extensive background in marketing they are shooting themselves in the foot. On our second sailing we had 12 people going to every activity possible on a 14 night cruise and accumulated a few ships activity cards to redeem for prizes in the end. I was hoping to get a little trinket for each of the five kids in our family party. We were able to trade them all in for...wait for it...3 can cozies.

So on my next cruise I purposefully packed my awesome Royal Caribbean beach tote I got for filling one activity card 10 years ago. Yes, I don’t want junk and no, I don’t want my fares to go up, but NCL really misses the boat in not making their loyal customers walking billboards for their product.

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My daughter has done Dolphins for the last two years and will again this fall as a 12 yo. She tends to love it even though I would have thought the repetitive nature of the program would have made it slightly boring. We are considering let her check herself in and out on this upcoming cruise...not entirely sure. Last cruise we did, however, let her stay for late night play for an hour when her younger brother and sister had to come out when Splash Academy closed at 10 pm. For the $10 she had an extra hour of fun and considered it a treat. Have fun!

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We have sailed in a group of 12 four times and have never made advanced reservations for the MDRs. We just show up at the podium each night. Occasionally we split into six and six for breakfast and lunch, but usually for dinner they could work us in. I think they moved us to the other restaurant (same menu) to speed up our wait once but that was fine. A few times we made a reservation when we were celebrating a birthday and they are more than happy to do that on board. Admittedly it was a little easier on different ships due to the availability of larger tables vs other ships, but I wouldn't stress about it. Come to think of it, on one sailing all the reservations we made online never transferred to the ship despite my sister making at least five of the beforehand. I think you will be fine to do them on board. Worse case pick the 5:30 (which I think we did and the restaurants didn't even open until 6) and adjust them on board. Then you can say you tried (but they still might not show up on board).

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The one thing no one has mentioned regarding that cost is the possibility the cruise may be ruined for other passengers by the young ones presence. For example. If I was to be kept up at night by a screaming child I would make a complaint. The complaint would lead to a reduction in the next cruise fare. Let's say 20%. So although a child may not eat as much etc it can still cost the company revenue. Like an insurance policy.

 

 

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Are you for real?

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Well since this post is still going despite the fact that it's not actually an issue I will bring up just one or two things that have not yet been mentioned so this post can stay alive as front page news....

Yes, you have to call. Don't even believe the fare quoted online or you will still be paying too much. Most (maybe not RCI) will have a super reduced fee for the infant. On NCL when we sailed about four years ago with my niece and nephew who were 3.5 and 15 months the 3rd passenger was like $399 and the infant $99. Still paid gratuities which is fine....babies make messes!

Two, no one has mentioned that many mothers breastfeed for six to 24 months and it really is in the best interest of companies to make it easy and affordable to bring babies along because if every nursing mother decided not to cruise/travel/shop due to having to stay home with a nursing infant we'd all be paying higher prices!

We love cruising as an extended family and with more ships catering to families with nurseries for children under three (NCL now has nursery kids programs on their bigger ships) I would love for people to have all the facts.

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I do not want to be a downer, and I have not stayed in the forward OV's, but I will tell you when we sailed the Getaway in a O1 ( I believe - I'm talking the family OV's on deck 5) I remember thinking that anyone is crazy to book forward of the midship elevators on that ship, and Escape looks pretty similar. There is nothing, and I do mean nothing in the front half of an "away" ship that is for the general public. If you are going to the spa a lot, or get Vibe passes, then maybe I would see the point of booking there, but I feel that with that Haven taking up the front third of the ship, the Waterfront not reaching the front of the ship and there being no restaurants or anything in the forward half that it would make a long commute to anywhere on that ship. I also booked a guarantee once on the Star for a Panama Canal cruise and cursed the placement as the forward most interior cabin when Splash Academy was located in the very aft of that ship, which is also significantly smaller than then the Escape.

If you don't mind walking half the length of the ship every time you want to go anywhere or plan on a lot of time in the cabin I think the angled window would be lovely, but for 14 days you might get tired of the commute.

We are booked again on the Getaway this fall and I would have gladly booked a family OV on 5 and been perfectly happy but as it was the balconies were a slightly better deal and I specifically chose one towards the aft so we could be closer to the restaurants, pool and other public areas as there is virtually no place to go in the forward half of that ship except the theater (or the spa which we don't use). I hope this helps you with your decision.

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My kids have eaten at Teppenyaki twice off the main dining room kids menu. They did, however serve them each the edamame and asked if they wanted soup which one of my children tried. I also think they served at least one of them the rice to try. Then I'm pretty sure they let them order the green tea ice cream (which they did not care for) and brought a cupcake for dessert for one of my kids' birthdays. We were not charged anything and the servers were clear that the kids menu was free, but think they prep the appetizers for the whole table. I would encourage you to try it. The kids had a blast....so much so when we tried the hibachi grill at Epcot it did not live up to either Teppenyaki experience by far.

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My kids have been on five NCL cruises aged 4, 5 and 7 to now 8, 9 and 11. They LOVE it. LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT! Some ships there have been less than 100 kids and others more than 600 and on the Jewel size sip even over spring break your kids will have a blast. If it is a full cruise you will want to make sure you are at SA earlier rather than later as it could fill to capacity for a session. This has never happened to us but I've read where it has to others. Be sure to pack CLOSED toed shoes for when they take the kids to the sports court and put sunscreen them before you drop them off. A baseball hat and sunglasses might help too. My kids love the circus tricks and we know own several pieces of equipment thanks to amazon.com. I would say NCL treats Splash Academy as providing your children with their own vacation rather than just babysitting or entertaining them during part of your vacation. There will be a different theme night each night of the cruise and a pirate parade that is super cute and fun. The last night is usually a pj party. We let our oldest stay for "late night" one night ($6 per hour I think) and she loved that she got special time in SA when her younger siblings had to go back to the room to bed. We tried to get our kids to eat dinner with us every night in the dining room and we finally realized it was just easier to let them eat at the buffet, drop them off at SA and then enjoy our own meal in the MDR. The only thing I wish they would do is pick kids up from the main dining rooms to take them to SA for us. You'll get a schedule on the first day and then we have the kids pick the times they really want to go for activities and then we do our own family things outside of those times. ENJOY!!

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I will speak from experience that it's actually a reality to lose weight on a cruise. With so many healthy options available - especially in the buffet I found myself making better choices and trying new things. Of course the free drinks didn't help too much, but if you start with a plate of veggies before you decide on a main dish it's pretty easy to get some good nutrition in. Plus, make it a point to hit the promenade deck for several laps after a meal - there's no excuse not to enjoy the sea air. Also, my rule is no elevator if you're within two floors of your destination. Trust me, I'm not a die-hard dieter and I've ordered plenty of spinach and artichoke dip at Blue Lagoon under the guide of "there's veggies in that" but I truly love the heathy options that are practically at your fingertips on a cruise ship. Good luck!

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It has been a long time since I sailed Princess, but I will say that it is perhaps my favorite - though that may be tainted by the fact that it was my first cruise. I'm sure things have changed over the years, but I would say from my recollection: Rooms - similar. We usually sail inside and our Princess inside was pretty comparable to NCL with NCL probably having more storage space. Laundromat - Sorry but you will have to pack extra or prepare to wait for a laundry special mid-cruise. There is no self serve laundry on any NCL ship. There is a retractable wash line in most showers so you can hand wash a few things if necessary. I usually bring a few clothes pins to help keep things in place. NCL Poolside food definitely has burgers by the pool and occasionally an awesome grill with Caribbean or Indian influenced dishes. On some ships they bring out hard scoop ice cream for a few hours a day by the pool or they have it in the buffet. Other ships only have soft serve...It's really hard to know which, but when I thought it was foolish to try to serve it from temporary set-ups near the pool I really missed it on another ship when the only option was soft serve.

Food overall I think was better on Princess especially desserts - BUT NCL food has gotten better in my opinion overall since I started sailing them four years ago. It really does vary from ship to ship and specialty usually better than MDR, except on the Getaway where all the food was awesome. You definitely won't starve and I think it's gotten much better over the last two years.

You'll love the anytime dining - it was offered in one MDR when we sailed Princess and that's what we opted for. Had same seating and tablemates on RCL and Holland. In fact, we met some awesome people dining with strangers on Princess that we became friends with during the cruise and continued to visit with after we all returned home. On NCL it's hard to say as we've always travelled with a group of families but I don't think they mix tables of strangers together except at Teppenyaki. I recall them just seating parties together and were never asked if they wanted to join another group.

Have not stayed in the mini suites but I'm sure you'll find tours on You Tube. Embarkation/disembarkation is usually pretty swift. Only once we waited for almost two hours to board in Miami but it was after a charter and obviously the charter was super special because they didn't begin boarding us until after 2pm. UBP is awesome. Once we had it totally free and other times we paid the gratuity which depending on your number of days and tolerance for alcohol is very cost effective. HOWEVER, the variety of wines has GREATLY diminished that are available on the UBP. Most wines are now only available by the bottle which is not included in the UBP. One that we fell in love with one year was by the bottle the following year. I would say there are only about 12 Reds and 12 whites TOTAL available on the UPB which can get very monotonous after a few days. If you're up for mixed drinks there is plenty to choose from.

I think you'll be happy to try NCL. The entertainment is better than I recall on Royal, the food almost as good as Princess, and the service almost as good as Holland - but more practical if that makes sense. If you book the suite you'll probably get two perks and I would do the specialty dining and the beverage package. Eat in Cagney's for ALL your specialty meals. Ok, maybe Teppenyaki for one. The MDRs should be good too. One thing I do recall from Princess was awesome room service. We returned from a glacier excursion wet and cold and just wanted to shower and rest. We ordered some soup and burgers and sat in bed and warmed up. Not only does NCL now charge for room service, it's a HORRIBLE limited menu. So if you can survive without room service you should be good. Hope this helps.

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And here we go.

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There is a kids pool specifically for young toddlers. According to the deck plans it is very similar to the one I personally witnessed on the Jade and is located tucked into a shaded spot behind a glass gated wall adjacent to the pool bar. I have sailed on six NCL ships with my children and nephew who was under three for five of those trips and although you will not be able to drop him off with siblings, you will find plenty for him to do otherwise, especially with type of pool. The Guppies will have one or two activities a day to do with a NCL staff person. Sometimes it's finger painting with organic edible paints, other times it's music exploration. Other times you should find a drop-in play area (not staffed and sometimes set up in a empty conference room and sometimes a specific room of splash academy that is accessed directly from a hallway not through splash academy.

As for diapers in the pool you can comb these threads for several heated discussions (and probably a rash of attacks on this post) stating rules and health codes but simply put I've never witnessed NCL kicking any kid out of a kid pool that was wearing a swim diaper. They put the kids pool there for a reason.

Other things to do with your child during the day include having the disco floor all to yourself, trying new foods at the buffet, dazzling everyone at trivia or origami. You littlest will be fawned upon by the dining room staff and they will make paper dolls out of their order books and tell you how much they miss their children at home and how happy they are to see your little one's smiling face. Your older kids will LOVE splash academy and you'll have a blast - even if it means a lot of one on one time with the smallest.

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I do not believe guests 3 & 4 receive a soda package. Two years ago they did, but when we sailed this fall the promo only applies to guests 1 & 2. Only one of my three children had "soda" written on her card and it was because she was booked as the second person in my sister's cabin. So it probably depends on when you booked if 3rd and 4th guest will get a soda package.

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I am curious about the children being in their own cabin so I'd love to hear what NCL says. Our children are about the same age plus one younger. I can't imagine letting them stay in their own room, but with three children and my parents not always available to come with us (where we normally book one of our children) I'd like to see what our options might be for future cruises. I was once told that if we book two cabins my husband must be booked in one with some of the children and I in the other with the other child.

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Wow. I'm surprised to find so many snarky people on this thread. Usually CC is a more positive space.

That being said, we have three blessings and have cruised NCL for four years, albeit with extended family usually with one of our children booked in a relatives room. There are the Family Oceanviews on the "away" ships that sleep five and work well when 3/4 sail free (used to be 3-8 sail free). One of our trips we had all three as free but now they will charge you $399/$499 for the "fifth".

There are also rooms on the SUN that sleep five. This is the only ship I've been able to book five in an interior (mock bookings) and on one cruise my sister was put in one of those rooms and I'm telling you it is the most spacious interior I've ever seen and it would truly sleep five. The main bed, a fold down couch (for two) and a pullman.

Royal Caribbean you have to call and I've never bothered because I just imagine it would be sticker shock. For Disney it is cheaper for me to pay for my mother and father to come with us on the ship than to book an ocean view veranda on the smaller ships and the larger ships have very limited oceanviews without a balcony that will sleep five that they are usually booked before I can even price check them. We've never done Disney. I can go on three NCL cruises for the cost of week on Disney.

I hope this helps a little. I can also tell you that Disney remodeled Caribbean Beach resort to sleep five just like Port Orleans so if you're ever trying to do Disney World you have some hope of getting free dining and not paying too much more than $220 per night for a family of five. Good luck. There are a few 2 bedroom suites that might work but generally you'll probably be better off with 2 cabins or a family ocean view on the away ships or an interior on the Sun.

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Make a reservation - even at the MDR - and mention it is a birthday celebration. They will bring a 1/4 (ish) size sheet cake - often with a Happy Birthday chocolate sign - and sing and your child will blow out a "candle". They will serve small slices of the cake as dessert and you can order off the menu dessert as well so it is often a "surprise" for the birthday person. On one cruise the cabin steward left a cupcake in the room for my son along with a birthday card from the cruise line. They will likely know - especially if it's mid-cruise. This last year his birthday was on embarkation day so we just got a cake a dinner. NCL always does a nice job with no extra costs, etc.

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We just did these ports with our children 11, 9 and 7. You could do a little at both if you wanted. At Costa Maya the adults got off the ship in the morning while the kids were in the kids club. After lunch we walked back to the immediate port area where there was a free pool with several levels and the whole thing was only about 4.5 feet deep. There is a bird walk and the kids could see the blue macaws there. We did not pay to do the bird walk just looked at the birds near the pool. There is a hourly show of some men twirling down a pole that we tipped a few dollars for. Most of the stalls / shops have super over priced silver or ugly t-shirts but they enjoyed picking out some bobble head animals for $1 each. You could spend an hour or two in the pool area if you just wanted to get off the boat and there are several people dressed up in native costumes that make some great photos for a few $ tip.

In Roatan we got adventurous and hired a van (there were 6 of us) to take us on a tour of the island, visit some monkeys and stop at a beach. We did not have swimsuits on and if we had we could have stayed at the beach for the same cost. It was $100 plus about $12 port entry fees and I think we tipped $10-20. I absolutely do not know if we overpaid or not. My budget was $100 and I felt we got to see a lot more than if we just stayed in the mall area. The assistant Cruise Director on our ship pointed us to the "mom and pop" tour stalls. There are several vendors at that port once you walk through the mall and we probably should have talked to one or two. Our driver had only been doing it for 2 months and she was very nice but not very informative. Her van was clean and she played caribbean Christmas music for the kids. We just stopped at West End and put our feet in the water and bought some t-shirts.

I would say that Roatan was where we felt we wanted to adventure, but Costa Maya had more right at the port than I expected and our kids enjoyed the pool and seeing the birds plus shopping a little. The port area right at Roatan was pretty too with some nice carts, a coffee bar, a chocolate cart, carved shell cart, etc. No one was doing the zip line - i think it was pricey.

Have fun.

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My husband surprised me with a vow renewal for our 15th in Cartagena, Columbia. We just took a tour of an old church and my mom pulled out a silk and crystal bead bouquet, my daughter, 9 at the time, read some vows and my husband presented me with a ring with our children's finger prints on it. After we got back on the ship we went to Teppenyaki. It was all free except for the tour of the church and the cover charge for Teppenyaki. The restaurant gave us an anniversary cake too. I would make some new friends to take some pictures while the two of you speak some heartfelt words in the ship's chapel (if it has one) on the deck or at some beautiful sea side vantage point and then have dinner at Cagney's. Save your $ for some sparkley jewelry or an awesome shore excursion.

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Way more of an important perk for being a Latitudes member is the Latitudes reception you will be invited to. Free drinks served and prizes raffled like bottles of wine, free laundry, etc. Usually just about 40-60 minutes and worth it even if you have a drink package.

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