NCL Getaway Misc. Questions

[craiginoregon]

Hello Everyone, I'm newer here and not even sure I know how to use to quote button to reply back to someone but hope maybe some of you can help with my Misc. questions. My first cruise with NCL was to Alaska in May and my next one is a Transatlantic from Denmark to Florida on October the 15th and I'm also on the roll call. I have searched the forum here and obtained a lot of excellent help. Here are my questions and if I can't figure out how to quote and reply please realize I very much appreciate your help.

 

01) Misc, question: When I get e-mails from the Cruise Critic it shows deals on cruises. Does this benefit the Cruise Critic to book any of the deals? That is, does it help the forum with costs?

 

02) I have an on-board credit from a cruise next certificate and also some prepaid credits. If I get a cruise next certificate can the credit apply to buying the certificate on a next NCL trip? (Next meaning maybe several years from now.)

 

03) The main theater on the Getaway where there are two repeat shows each evening. I have never had to make a reservation for the large theater. On the Getaway do you have to have reservations for the nightly show?

 

04) I have all my NCL screens filled out so according to NCL I'm done for now. However the time to arrive has not posted for me to select it. Will the time to arrive post 90 days before I board? When I booked the NCL Alaska cruise it was on short notice and the screen was there so I picked an early morning time.

 

05) I see from the forum that 90 days out I can make reservations for restaurants and certain entertainment. I want to do this 90 days out. What my concern is, is what if the captain has a reception for repeat NCL members and I have booked entertainment? Is there anyway prior to booking a reservation to know when the reception would be? I would hate to miss out on the reception. I think it is called the Mariners society, or something like that.

 

06) The vibe club sounds great but on my cruise in October would it really be logical to sit outdoors during the Fall season when it could be cold as I travel from Northern Europe to America? Part of the trip will be in the Caribbean. Would they allow a person to book only the last week for the Vibe club on a 2 week cruise?

 

07) I bought the travel Insurance but have never fully understood it. I know it protects me if I cancel so I'm o.k. on questions there. But my question would be, if I cut a finger, etc. do I get totally free health care with the ships Doctor?

 

Thank you

 

Craig in Oregon

[SuiteTraveler]

My answers in red below:

 

Hello Everyone, I'm newer here and not even sure I know how to use to quote button to reply back to someone but hope maybe some of you can help with my Misc. questions. My first cruise with NCL was to Alaska in May and my next one is a Transatlantic from Denmark to Florida on October the 15th and I'm also on the roll call. I have searched the forum here and obtained a lot of excellent help. Here are my questions and if I can't figure out how to quote and reply please realize I very much appreciate your help.

 

01) Misc, question: When I get e-mails from the Cruise Critic it shows deals on cruises. Does this benefit the Cruise Critic to book any of the deals? That is, does it help the forum with costs?

 

Not sure. Usually the advertising on a website pays for the site.

 

02) I have an on-board credit from a cruise next certificate and also some prepaid credits. If I get a cruise next certificate can the credit apply to buying the certificate on a next NCL trip? (Next meaning maybe several years from now.)

 

I'm a little confused by your question. Are you trying to use a cruise next certificate to buy a cruise next certificate? Or are you talking about using the on-board credit for a cruise next certificate? I believe you can use the on-board credit but not the cruise next certificate to purchase a cruise next certificate.

 

03) The main theater on the Getaway where there are two repeat shows each evening. I have never had to make a reservation for the large theater. On the Getaway do you have to have reservations for the nightly show?

 

Yes, unless you don't mind standing for 30 minutes plus in the standby line in case you can get a seat that is not taken.

 

04) I have all my NCL screens filled out so according to NCL I'm done for now. However the time to arrive has not posted for me to select it. Will the time to arrive post 90 days before I board? When I booked the NCL Alaska cruise it was on short notice and the screen was there so I picked an early morning time.

 

Hard to guess when NCL will do this. They keep changing their website and surprising all of us.

 

05) I see from the forum that 90 days out I can make reservations for restaurants and certain entertainment. I want to do this 90 days out. What my concern is, is what if the captain has a reception for repeat NCL members and I have booked entertainment? Is there anyway prior to booking a reservation to know when the reception would be? I would hate to miss out on the reception. I think it is called the Mariners society, or something like that.

 

The reception is usually around 5pm, so just make your reservations later. If you are in The Haven it is usually on the second sea day. Honestly, we rarely go and the Captain usually no shows in our experience, so unless you are going from the free drinks and hors d'ouerves, and to hob knob with some of the ship's officers, not sure what the point is.

 

06) The vibe club sounds great but on my cruise in October would it really be logical to sit outdoors during the Fall season when it could be cold as I travel from Northern Europe to America? Part of the trip will be in the Caribbean. Would they allow a person to book only the last week for the Vibe club on a 2 week cruise?

 

On Getaway Vibe is on a high deck at the front and side where it is VERY windy. IDK, for a transatlantic in October I would 100% rather have a spa pass than the Vibe pass, but then I don't care for sitting around the pool or in the sun. If you are in The Haven there is no point in the Vibe pass as the Haven Sundeck is right next to it and has better furniture.

 

07) I bought the travel Insurance but have never fully understood it. I know it protects me if I cancel so I'm o.k. on questions there. But my question would be, if I cut a finger, etc. do I get totally free health care with the ships Doctor?

 

If you get sick - like a cold or nausea or injured, then treatment in the infirmary is free including the medicine. If you need a bandaid for a recent cut, yes it would be free, but I believe you can get a bandaid from the sundry shop onboard, so I wouldn't bother the doctor for a cut finger. At most I might call the sick bay and ask if I could drop by and pick one up. On these larger ships, there are often vending machines outside of the infirmary where you can buy such small medical items using your cruise card. Typically on these larger ships there are 2 doctors onboard. Half the day, they see crew members who are patients and the other half of the day they see passengers. To be honest, it can be grueling work as they see so many patients each day. If there is a medical emergency of any type, that is their priority. In addition to seeing patients, the physicians may also be caring for patients who are seriously ill within the infirmary. Generally the physicians will do all they can to stabilize an emergency and then transfer the patient to a hospital either at the next port or via a helicopter medical evacuation if it is too serious to treat onboard and the patients life is in jeopardy. There is always a nurse on duty you can call in case you fall ill during the night and if needed, she will go wake up whichever doctor is "on call" to see you. You can read about what is covered by NCL's insurance here:

https://www.ncl.com/sites/default/files/BookSafe-Travel-Protection-Plan_112514.pdf

 

The insurance is not an opportunity to get a free physical or any other type of treatment that is not medically necessary at the time.

 

Thank you

 

Craig in Oregon

[shof515]

2) from my past experience with cruise next certificates, the on board credit is only for the cruise you are on. if your purchase one for $250, and you get the $100 on board credit then you basically paying $150 as a deposit for a future cruise

3) yes, you need reservations for the shows in the theater. you can book the shows online or the ship at the box office

4) not all ports have that new "staggered" check in as it is called. you can still get the terminal anytime you want. boarding usually starts around 12/1

5) you can search this forum for some past freestyle dailies to get an idea of when the events are happening. none of the events are posted online.if you there is a conflict, you should cancel your reservation by calling the box office/guest services on board the ship.

7) Yes, you will still have to pay the ship doctor. Then when you get home, you have to contact the travel insurance company and file a claim. When you file the claim, and you should be reimbursed for the all of the costs out of pocket. the travel insurance works as a secondary coverage to your main health insurance. whatever your health insurance does not cover, the travel insurance should cover it. Check your policy for all of the fine print details on what your coverage and limits are

[craiginoregon]

Thank you so very much! You both are spot on for the information I needed. I will be in a studio solo cabin. I very much appreciate your taking the time to answer my questions.

[BirdTravels]

01) Misc, question: When I get e-mails from the Cruise Critic it shows deals on cruises. Does this benefit the Cruise Critic to book any of the deals? That is, does it help the forum with costs?

You should book at whatever TA or direct with NCL that you are most comfortable with and the provides you the best value for your money.

 

02) I have an on-board credit from a cruise next certificate and also some prepaid credits. If I get a cruise next certificate can the credit apply to buying the certificate on a next NCL trip? (Next meaning maybe several years from now.)

Yes. Normally, when you buy a certificate for $250 on board, and get the $125 credit, you use it to pay for 1/2 of the certificate. E.g., 50% off. YOu can use other credit toward buying more CN certificates.

 

03) The main theater on the Getaway where there are two repeat shows each evening. I have never had to make a reservation for the large theater. On the Getaway do you have to have reservations for the nightly show?

You have to make reservations for the two main broadway shows, Million Dollar Quartet and Burn the Floor. Both shows will have a total of 4 showings (2 times on 2 nights each). The main theater has about 800 seats, so in 4 showings, 4*800=3600 seats will be available. There are approximately 4200 passengers on any given sailing, so you can do the math.

 

04) I have all my NCL screens filled out so according to NCL I'm done for now. However the time to arrive has not posted for me to select it. Will the time to arrive post 90 days before I board? When I booked the NCL Alaska cruise it was on short notice and the screen was there so I picked an early morning time.

If the system did not ask you to pick a time, you do not need to pick a time. We normally show up around 10:15-10:30 so that we can board when boarding starts at 11:15-11:30 (yes, I know that your eDocs will say boarding starts a noon,,,, but they normally start early).

 

05) I see from the forum that 90 days out I can make reservations for restaurants and certain entertainment. I want to do this 90 days out. What my concern is, is what if the captain has a reception for repeat NCL members and I have booked entertainment? Is there anyway prior to booking a reservation to know when the reception would be? I would hate to miss out on the reception. I think it is called the Mariners society, or something like that.

Not Mariners Society,,,, but you can change your reservations once you are onboard if you have a conflict. The transatlatic will be an unknown, since it is a one-off. If the reception is in the evening, it will be around 7 pm for both cruises. (Sometimes in the afternoon on a sea day). If you want to book entertainment early in the week, book the late show. For the alaska cruise, you do not book entertainment in advance.

 

06) The vibe club sounds great but on my cruise in October would it really be logical to sit outdoors during the Fall season when it could be cold as I travel from Northern Europe to America? Part of the trip will be in the Caribbean. Would they allow a person to book only the last week for the Vibe club on a 2 week cruise?

No. It would not be logical to pay for the vibe club. Most of your time will be in the northern atlantic and between wind and temperature, you would be better off with a spa pass.

 

07) I bought the travel Insurance but have never fully understood it. I know it protects me if I cancel so I'm o.k. on questions there. But my question would be, if I cut a finger, etc. do I get totally free health care with the ships Doctor?

No. Your health insurance would pay first.

Thank you

 

Craig in Oregon

You have two wonderful cruises scheduled. Alaska will be beautiful (one of our favorite itineraries) and the TA will be very relaxing.

[craiginoregon]

Hi BirdTravels. My first trip was May of 2016. I have been on 3 other cruise lines but really loved this one. Great food, entertainment, and staff. My second one will be the Transatlantic next year in October. So I'm really looking forward to the trip. The information on my questions here has been really helpful. I'm writing notes in my travel planner on the answers given here. I'm really thrilled to get the help. It makes going on a cruise so much easier. Again Many Thanks to all of you!!!

Edited December 18, 2016 by craiginoregon

[peter_1953]

Hi. New to Norwegian. Has anyone had experience with this cabin, it's handicapped accessible (which actually we don't need). The deck plan shows it's about double the size of adjacent ocean view cabins and faces directly forward. How's the view? Thank you.

Edited December 21, 2016 by peter_1953

[Dinsdale Piranha]

Our friends were in this cabin last year and it was HUGE. We actually had 14 people in there at one point and there was ample room for everyone. The bathroom was bigger than inside cabins on some ships.

 

I can't speak to the view during the day, but at night the bridge required our friends to keep the blinds closed so that the cabin lights weren't distracting.

 

I really don't understand how this is an accessible cabin when it is so far from elevators.

 

 

Hi. New to Norwegian. Has anyone had experience with this cabin, it's handicapped accessible (which actually we don't need). The deck plan shows it's about double the size of adjacent ocean view cabins and faces directly forward. How's the view? Thank you.