Excited for my very first cruise!

[Love2Teach]

My hubby and I leave in 10 days for my first cruise! We're headed to Florida and the Bahamas on the Norwegian Jewel. I've read every review, and every post on this site about the ship, its ammenities, and the shore excursions. I think I'm ready, even though I still have that nervous, excited, anxious, swarm of butterflies in my stomach feeling.

We just got a call from NCL this morning offering us an upgrade from a balcony room on deck 9 mid ship, to a mini-suite, the romance suite, on deck 10 aft. I know my DH will love the extra space, and the benefits of a butler, concierge and priority boarding, so I caved and spent the extra money. I'm secretly (not so secretly now that I've told the whole world)hoping it is worth it, especially when I feel like we're not going to be spending much time in the room with everything that there is to do on and off the ship. I guess I'll have to search around this site a little more to see if I can find more info about my new room. It's one more exciting thing I have to look forward to. :)

Eek! :eek: 10 days!! I think I might just go start packing now....or at least make a list of things to pack. I can't wait!

[cruiseat50]

You will absolutely love the aft but I hate to tell you this if it is mini-suite you do not get the perks of a suite such as butler, concierge, Cagneys... :( Are you sure it is a mini-suite and not a suite? What is the cabin number?

[Love2Teach]

We're in the AD room, the Romance Suite. I just looked at it on their website, and you're right. It's not a mini-suite. I think she said we're in Cabin 10666. I'm still waiting for my confirmation email.

 

Do you know more about what comes with the suites?

[InTheCruisingYearsOfLife]

Do you know more about what comes with the suites?

 

Royal treatment at embarkation, rather than having to file through the cattle gates. Priority when getting off ship at port, whether tendering or just stumbling down the gang-plank. Butler and concierge. I think you also get breakfast and lunch in Cagney's at that level. I don't think you get three "free" bottles of booze in that level of suite.

 

We were upsold from a BA to an A2 on the Pearl to Glacier Bay, this coming Sunday. (Shhhh!!!; DW doesn't know yet.)

 

Have a great cruise.

 

InThe

[DMH15]

An AD is a full suite and OMG for your first cruise... you will be spoiled from here forward. You will only want a suite from now on. The "suite life" begins at embarkation and continues right on through. The Cagney's breakfast is the absolute best!

 

My best advice: Read as many reviews as you can, doesn't matter ship or itenerary - just as long as it is in a suite. That will give you an idea of what to expect and/or ask for.

 

I am sure you will also read that the butler and concierge are not included inthe DSC.

 

I loved the Jewel and hope you will too.

 

Congrats on your upsell.

[cruiseat50]

I copied this from another post...

 

Concierge:

NCL concierges do everything "outside the suite." On both cruises they have been very responsive and attention, seeking to please, pro-active, and made a point of developing a personal relationship with suite guests.

Celebrity concierges will book your excursions and make dinner reservations, but we dinner reservations were done more promptly through the butler. Not all that pro-active, but if you call them, they will do what they are expected to do.

 

Afternoon treats, tea, etc.

Both lines offer treats in the afternoon and a little something sweet at the end of the evening. Both lines/butlers were responsive to bringing whatever you wanted for an afternoon snack, but NCL will bring you whatever you want whenever you want it.

 

Meal service in suite:

Both lines offer this for any meal of the day for suite passengers. I found that the quality of this meal service depended on the quality of the butler. So we had excellent in suite meal service on one NCL cruise and very indifferent service on the other NCL cruise. Same with our two Celebrity experiences.

 

Specialty restaurant for suite guests

NCL has Cagneys or some other specialty restaurant which is designated as a free "specialty" restaurant for suite guests for breakfast and lunch. This is often cited as the "best" suite perk offered by NCL.

Celebrity, at least when I last cruised them, did not offer a comparable breakfast and lunch specialty restaurant for suite guests.

 

Priority embarkation/debarkation/tenders:

Both lines offer this service, but NCL wins by a nose in this category, as the concierge will personally escort you to the front of the tender line, and off the ship at debarkation, while Celebrity only gave us a "priorty ticket" or "priority color" for tendering and debarkation. Priority embarkation for both lines was very good and comparable.

 

Personally my favorites are in order:

B/L in Cagneys (priceless if you don't like crowds at the buffet but also much nicer meals than MDR)

Priority embark/debark/ and especially tenders - if you are embarking in Miami stay to the left and look for the VIP/suites room so that you don't have to get in the long lines with all the other passengers :D Express tenders are really nice if you have to get to an excursion early (if booked through an outside vendor) also for the private island... you get to pick the best spot as you will be on the first tender off :D

Concierge/butler - they will spoil you if you let them... so do... lol... but remember that you will need to tip them as they are not included in the daily service charge.

 

Prepare to be spoiled beyond comprehension... and... never wanting to book a cruise without these perks. :D

[flowerchild]

Lucky you! I don't know how much you spent but I am glad that it is an actual suite and not a mini suite; IMO, the mini suites are glorified balcony cabins and not worth the extra $$. A suite, on the other hand...GOOD FOR YOU! You will love it and cruising, too!

[Ask4Jay]

@LoveToTeach

You don't even know what a Gem of a cabin you have. We usually make do with one of the small BA cabins next door. The important thing is the location. You are looking aft for a clear view of where you have been. You are never on the "wrong" side of the ship. Even under way, you have very little wind, because you are protected by the ship. For a view of what kind of view you can expect off your balcony, take a look at our pix. We have cruised twice on the Jewel and twice on the Gem, always in an aft cabin.

We have even refused an upgrade to a mini-suite, because is was a side balcony.

[skidder]

Have a marvelous time Love2Teach, as I'm sure you will! :)

 

I still remember what a friend of mine told be before my first cruise and it has stuck with me ever since (and I have to agree with her it is SO true, at least for me)...A cruise is the best vacation you will ever take!

[dznymom]

Oh are you gonna be spoiled!! Congrats on a great upsell. I will also be on the Jewel on the 31st and I can't wait :) Come on over and join our roll call.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1159350

 

We have a pretty good sized meet & greet set up and I bet you would enjoy meeting other Cruise Critic folks and the ship's officers!

[Love2Teach]

Thanks to everyone for your kind words. Your descriptions of the suite and the perks that come with it have me grinning from ear-to-ear!! :D

@dznymom - I've heard so much about the M&Gs but, still don't have my hubby sold on the whole thing. I'm new to the boards so I don't really know anyone or remember screen names to meet up with them during the M&G. However, meeting the crew, captain, etc. is right up my alley. I've also read that the captain will sometimes offer a tour of the bridge, which would also be super awesome. I still need to chat with the hubby about it. I don't know if he'll want to attend, so I don't want to sign up yet. There are so many selling points for me to use to convince him, so please let me know when it is too late to sign up. I don't want to crash the party!!

@skidder - We are really looking forward to this trip! It will be our first vacation together in two years!

@Ask4Jay - Your pictures have me even more excited! Do you know, will we be able to see the Statue of Liberty from our room, or should we stay on deck?

@flowerchild - We were originally in a BB balcony and the cost was about $300 to get the the upsell to AD. I don't know if that's a good price or not, but it seems worth it! The NCL agent said it would usually be an $800 difference between cabins.

@cruiseat50 - THANK YOU so much for the information and for doing the research for me! We will be sailing out of the Manhattan Terminal in NYC. I know that my father in law will be dropping us off at the pier, but I don't know where to go from there. Hopefully the line for the VIP/Suites is well labeled as you describe it is in Miami.

@InThe... - Just realized you're sailing in just a few hours! I hope you enjoy your trip!!! I'm sure your DW will LOVE the surprise!

@DMH15 - I did take your advice and have read so many reviews about suites. I took notes (partly because I'm a teacher, and partly because I'm a big nerd), and I have so much information to make our trip easier. (21 pages typed! :eek: :rolleyes:)

I tried to respond to everyone, but if I missed your post, a special thanks to you too! I'm heading to the Ports of Call boards now to read up on shore excursions a bit.....well, looking at the clock, maybe I'll head to bed and read more in the morning! I've officially become a Cruise Critic Addict. If I love reading about the cruise, I can only imagine how amazing the real thing will be!!