Please help with BREAKAWAY planning for shows and dinners!

We are traveling in March with 12 y/o boy to Bahamas, staying in the Haven with 3 night SDP. I want to maximize the week and wonder which nights are best at which shows and restaurants. I have questions and not sure if I really need to pre book or is that one of the Haven benefits...Here are some questions?

1. Can we use SDP for Cirque?

2. What night for Cirque?

3. What night for Rock of Ages?

4. What night for Burn the Floor?

I know we want to do teppanyaki (son love hibachi) I also think we want to go to Ocean Blue (we love seafood). But beyond that no must haves. I also know the food in the Haven restaurant is supposed to be good but the menu is the same all week...

5. Can we really eat inn Haven and request something off the menu being served in one of the MDR's each night....how will I know what they are serving?

I also don't really understand how the a la Carter pricing works with the SDP. WE LOVE SUSHI ...CHINESE.

Will there be decent sushi on a buffet ....say for lunch any day in Garden Cafe?

We already paid so much for Haven I really want to take advantage of the restaurant perk but already feel like I will be ";going elsewhere" most nights.

Help me plan the week and lay it all out loosely before the 90 day mark....I am flexible nothing set in stone...I just like having a plan to start out with.

Also any advice on excursions. Was thinking Kennedy Space Center, beaching in at GSC, then SNUBA or SUBs at Stuart's COBE in Nassau....thoughts? Pre book? Thorough NCL or on my own?

Thanks for feedback.

As I posted on the other thread, check out MKIngs recent review.

Note that GSC can get skipped due to weather so don't be surprised if it happens.

Teppanyaki is fun for kids and a decent meal.

IMO I'd do GSC despite you getting to PC so late. This is one we'd probably do through ship as apparently they get extra time there after park closes.

You can find out what they're serving in MDRs by going to one of them during the day. That evening's dinner menu will be posted outside each of the three MDRs each day.

At 90 days before your cruise, more since you're in the Haven,maybe 100, NCL will open up shows you can book ahead of time. So you will be able to see what nights each one is performed on. Rock of Ages and Burn the Floor are performed multiple times.

Also, for those two shows I believe there is a section of seats reserved for Haven passengers. I'm sure people who have stayed in the Haven will chime in about this. Enjoy your cruise!

As to SDP, I try to book dining around other activities but book online asap. For Haven, your concierge can help get last minute reservations. There is a reserved section for Haven in the theater and front row seats for all the shows. I like Tappanyanki - entertaining.

Did snuba in Nassau. Not a diver so it was great for me. Your post didn't mention ship, but if its Escape, your son will have a great time on slides and ropes course. Lots to do for active teens.

On "Asian Night" in the Garden Cafe they do have sushi, and it's exactly the kind of sushi you would expect to get at a cruise ship buffet where they're trying to keep costs down.

I assume the sushi at the actual sushi bar is better quality. I'd recommend hitting it up early in the cruise. That fish in the freezer doesn't get any fresher as the cruise progresses.

*.Away class ships work around a rotating menu system of 14 or 15 for the MDR - there's no way for anyone to plan this far ahead ... next March.

The butler and concierge are your keys to unlocking preferred access and what's best, based on your desire - at 100+ days, as you should be able to get the contact information and communicate your needs, including bookings. You can also do reserve some of that yourself by logging into MyNCL dot com, assuming that you have registered and setup the account.

As for sushi in the buffet and MDR - there is a choice of 3 or 4 different ones, nothing fancy or unique. The ones at the sushi bar are priced a la carte and more upscale.

There is enough variety and combo of inclusive dining options, specialty and Haven dining for a typical 7 days or even 10 days cruise to satisfy most cruisers new to NCL ... not everything on the menus in specialty are included at no extra charge, some has a surcharge on top.

SDP does not include Cirque unless a surcharge is paid/add when booking it - it was offered on multiple nights during our 7 days, two weeks ago. The most challenged planning is to lock in the 2 main shows and meals around it, have your conciege arrange it. You can see the Dailies I posted here for a general idea, but don't use that as a definitive schedule as times & dates are subject to change ... even after boarding.

Florida & Nassau's destination forums has many useful tips, info and links, etc. to plan. The stop in Port Canaveral only yielded a maximum of 6.5 to 7 hours, including the 2.5+ hours round-trip travel time to the theme parks in the Orlando area. KSC is nearby and a more better option to many.

As I posted on the other thread, check out MKIngs recent review.

 

Note that GSC can get skipped due to weather so don't be surprised if it happens.

 

Teppanyaki is fun for kids and a decent meal.

 

IMO I'd do GSC despite you getting to PC so late. This is one we'd probably do through ship as apparently they get extra time there after park closes.

Meant "KSC"