NCL secrets they don't tell you about

[bragstarr]

I'll reiterate--if you don't see it, ask. My husband LOVES watermelon. We would see sliced fruit or melon on the menu for breakfast--one morning he asked if he could just get watermelon. They brought him about half a watermelon all sliced up! He was in heaven, and asked for it every morning, with no problem. Small things made him happy....on the other hand, my 18 year old would order two entrees or appetizers with a sheepish look when he could not decide or wanted to try something. He certainly ate his way through the ship, but again, would order certain things plain or without sauce with no problem, and had those plain shrimp cocktails many evenings.

 

Another hint--it's been posted before, but it made me very happy. I like a large bath sheet for my shower, and would bring a large pool towel back to my cabin every morning to save for the evening's shower. Just stick it in a closet somewhere, so the steward won't clean it out with the dirty towels when he freshens the cabin!

 

And, the stewards DO have bar soap if you don't like the liquid stuff in the dispenser. Just ask.

 

Robin

[mbisson]

We went to breakfast in the Windows dining room on the Spirit. We wanted eggs benedict, but it was not on the menu that day. We politely asked if they would make it for us anyway. The chef agreed to, if we were willing to wait the 10-15 minutes to make the hallandaise sauce. We were blown away by that. I was so impressed and appreciative.

 

Don't know how your eggs bendict was but we had it on the Sun and it was great.

 

-Monte

[98Charlie]

Been on 10 cruises since Nov., 2002 - 5 x on NCL, 3 X, 1 Princess and 1 RCI. Best Eggs Benedict ever was on NCL - wins it hands down. :D

 

Also has the best smoked salmon plate - not too much salmon, just enough.

 

Dianne

[Hikini]

These are great tips - keep them coming. We sail on the Spirit in September. On another thread quite a long time ago, someone mentioned if you are a member of the soda program you can take your own drink container and they will fill it. Does anyone know about this? Is it true? (We always sign up for the soda program.)

 

 

Hikini:D

[breeding]

These are great tips - keep them coming. We sail on the Spirit in September. On another thread quite a long time ago, someone mentioned if you are a member of the soda program you can take your own drink container and they will fill it. Does anyone know about this? Is it true? (We always sign up for the soda program.)

Hikini:D

 

This is a great thread. We sail next week on our first cruise. I will look like a pro. My girls were just asking me last night if they get tired of foo foo food could they get a plain cheese sandwich? Is this something we could ask for? Also when I signed up my girls for the kids club I asked about the soda/smoothie card and they told me it was just for kids. Do I need to ask someone else when we get on the ship? Thanks for the great advice!

[Hikini]

If you (or your kids) get tired of fancy food I highly recommend the Blue Lagoon. (If you're on the Star or the Spirit.) There may be Blue Lagoon cafes on other ships, but I can only speak for the Star and the Spirit.

 

Anyway, they have some great every day meals that would suit kids better. Hamburgers, hotdogs, chili, potato wedges, etc. On the Star, the Blue Lagoon cafe has WONDERFUL Olde English style fish and chips. And they're open 24 hours a day.

 

Also, the buffet would have simple food that the kids can pick and choose from. As far as ordering a plain cheese sandwich in one of the main restaurants, I don't know. They have always been so good to fill our requests that I can't imagine they would have a problem doing this for you. I love NCL!

 

Hikini:D

[tommy2811]

Blue Lagoon cafe has WONDERFUL Olde English style fish and chips.

 

 

this holds true for the Dawn also.....

[Bennett'sCruise]

Blue Lagoon Pound Cake = YUMMMMMMMM!

 

Also, my husband got the soda card and NCL lost money on him ... he is completely addicted! HA! (also very competitive and was driven to come out ahead of the game!)

 

Eggs Benedict is my favorite morning meal. However, only saw it once on the menu during an 8-day cruise. I could have ASKED for it??????? Oh, my ... now I know!:o

 

Another tip: money is always good for getting special treatment. However, the staff also loves to talk about their families, etc. Don't be shy about making conversation with your room stewards, waiters, etc. We have the whole world sailing with us and it is so interesting to find out about other cultures, etc. Makes the world a very small place ....:)

 

~Dianne

[2fun]

My father use to say that everyone has a story and we should feel blessed to hear them :)

 

So does the Blue Laggon have one menu or doe it change? Does it offer other dessert than pound cake? Sounds like a great place to hit late at night!

 

Chole

[Host CMLA]

So does the Blue Laggon have one menu or doe it change? Does it offer other dessert than pound cake? Sounds like a great place to hit late at night!

Blue Lagoon menu is set but I don't remember if there are more dessert choices. As for a late night place...we called it the Denny's of the sea because we'd go there after being in the club just like we do at home. Well, just like we used to...we're older now. ;)

[KLynnG]

Another hint for people who book their cruise months or a year in advance only to find the price on the suite you booked has gone down a lot since you made your final payment.

while it isn't possible or even logical to get a refund on your purchase 45 days or less prior to sailing, NCL will give shipboard credits to you if you ask politely but persistently. Another hint is to be sure & be specific. They won't volunteer the information. A question such as "is there anything you can do to help me? or What kind of compensation is there? did not elicit any positive response from them. When I asked specifically, "Is a shipboard credit possible?" The answer was " Yes, I can give you $100 shipboard credit "

[Barb Nahoumi]

Hi Cecilia,

 

My husband and I have ordered the grilled chicken on many occassions. That is our "something to fall back on dish."

[Host CMLA]

Hi Cecilia,

 

My husband and I have ordered the grilled chicken on many occassions. That is our "something to fall back on dish."

Exactly...us too! It's a good fall back meal if none of the fancy dishes sound appealing. Glad to see others have noticed this on the menu.

[vacationgogo]

For late night dessert on the Dawn, try the Java Cafe! But not too late night, it closes at midnight.

[swoosh2005]

And, the stewards DO have bar soap if you don't like the liquid stuff in the dispenser. Just ask.

 

Robin

 

I LOVE the L'Occitane bar soap on the DAWN-I usually snitch a few bars and leave them in my suitcase so that the smell lingers-it always reminds me of the cruise.

[debjo]

Have a birthday or anniversary to celebrate on your cruise?...

When you make your reservation be sure to let NCL know about the "special occasion" you are celebrating on your cruise...and you'll receive a card in your cabin that you can present in the restaurant of your choice on the day that you choose...the "surprise" that you'll receive will be a cake for two (four if you stretch it) and the appropriate "seranade" from some of the waitstaff (and possibly the matri d'). And the best part is...there is "no additional charge" and you don't have to purchase a "Special Occasion Package".

 

Debjo

[Iowagal]

On shore excursion days we would order breakfast in our cabin and ask for "ice." They would bring a full large pitcher of ice and we could fill our water containers and with a small amount of water, and would have cold water for several hours.

[DivaG]

What great tips!!! Please keep them coming.

 

There's popcorn in Pearly Kings!! Take some to the movies with you. :D

 

Of course - don't eat it on the way to the theatre otherwise you may not have any to eat during the movie. LOL

 

 

G

[woodz]

We are two weeks off the Star and have a few tips.

First, one of the main restaurants will be open for lunch until 2:00 on embarkation day. We love to start the cruise with a formal sit-down lunch.

The soda package has really gone up in price. It was about $25-$30 plus tip and included the coke cup in September and is now $40 plus tip without the coke cup. I figured I could buy 27 sodas onboard for that price. You only get about 4-5 ounces with each glass or coke cup, so for the first time in 13 cruises I didn't get the package.

The dessert at the Blue Lagoon is pound cake or banana bread, both yummy.

You can order cheese sandwiches in the dining room. We cruised with our 13 month old granddaughter and they bent over backwards to get her whatever she wanted.

When you get a pool towel, make sure you shake it and look at it before you use it. I found ground-in cheese and mustard on one I had used. They have these great BBQ's by the pool and sometimes the towels get used as large napkins. My towel slipped through the wash with a few extras attached. EEEWWW!!!

[DawnCruise05]

On our Dawn cruise in February, we found out it was a crewmember's birthday who had gone out of his way to make us feel special. So while we were eating dinner in Impressions, we asked our waitress if we could order a cake for him. She said, "No problem!" and our cake was delivered at the end of our meal. He was very surprised! ;)

[SailAways]

In the past, I read on a post that it is a good idea to make extra copies of your documents, passport, or other ID, insurance coverage, etc.. Secure these in a baggie and put one in each piece of luggage.

Also, when ordering soft drinks, ask for Mega Bloody Mary Mug - it won't blow over in the wind, and holds more!

Lastly, it seems from what I have read here and else where, if you want something, ask politely,( with a few bucks) and most likely, your desires will be met.

Being a new cruiser, I will be testing all of the suggestions soon. Hopefully, the good hints will keep rolling in.

:)

[johnql]

I've posted this on other threads, but it seems appropriate to repeat it here.

 

On both the Dawn and Star, they keep a binder at the reception desk containing the entire week's dinner menus for the main dining rooms. Just ask to see it on embarkation day and you'll be able to pick and choose which nights you want to dine in the main dining rooms and which nights are skippable, in which case you might want to reserve a specialty restaurant.

 

On the Star, they even gave me a photocopy of the entire week's menus. That way, I was able to keep the menus in the cabin for easy reference.

 

I can't vouch for other NCL ships, but they may all routinely keep the menus available at the reception desk. It doesn't hurt to ask.

[Big Al B.]

There are copies of the menus in the Sports Bar on the Sun. May be other places also, but that's where we saw them.

[mike442]

This is a great thread. We sail next week on our first cruise. I will look like a pro. My girls were just asking me last night if they get tired of foo foo food could they get a plain cheese sandwich? Is this something we could ask for? Also when I signed up my girls for the kids club I asked about the soda/smoothie card and they told me it was just for kids. Do I need to ask someone else when we get on the ship? Thanks for the great advice!

i do know that on the dawn they make a nice grilled ch. sandwich.

[Welove2cruise2]

On the Dawn, yes, they do have a popcorn machine in the Pearly Kings Pub. BUT you don't have to stop there on the way to the movie theater -- they make up fresh bags and bring them to the theater, before the movie starts, and then about half-way through the movie! :D