If I had only known... What do you wish someone had told you prior to your 1st NCL cr

[mugtech]

I think some people like to charge things while they are gone, and others like to keep the room cool I keeping the air conditioning on. We have never found it necessary.

We turn off the lights but like to charge things while we are gone.

Edited March 3, 2018 by mugtech
spelling

[shrew]

I think some people like to charge things while they are gone, and others like to keep the room cool I keeping the air conditioning on. We have never found it necessary.

 

I can see charging things but why cool a room you’re not in? It’s really wasteful. While I haven’t cruised before, I’ve traveled plenty in tropical climates where you insert a key card and haven’t ever kept the air on.

[shrew]

I prefer coming into the room already cool rather than having to wait for however long to get it cooled down. It is actually more energy efficient to maintain a room at a set temperature than it is to keep having to cool it down.

That is not necessarily true. While it does take a lot of energy to cool a space down, it takes less energy than constantly cooling a space for hours. (While I’m currently in IT, I was a buildings energy efficiency consultant for many years)

[Draketti]

Spice H2O Aft of the ship (Getaway anyway) Deck 16

Adults only from 7 A.M. to 6 P.M.

Has lots of loungers, 2 hot tubs, a waterfall and a bar

FREE

Hope this is still true! I'm on the Getaway in September 2018!

[Chris2018]

1. Always complain directly to the maitre d' in the dining rooms about the poor, slow service on NCL cruises. They will send you a complimentary bottle of wine and chocolate covered strawberries to your room. Do it everyday for free dessert and alcohol.

 

2. Don't drink the bottled water in the rooms. They will charge you for it. Carnival, at least, puts a large warning label stating the price of the water. NCL does nothing like that, and will place the bottled water next to the free sparkling wine (which you get for free if you cruised with NCL at least once in the past)

 

3. Most of the food in the buffet is bad on NCL cruises (cold, no flavor, etc). In your first plate, take small bite sized portions of every food you're interested in and sample them first. Have the cruise employees take the plate away. Then in your second plate, take only the food that tasted good.

 

4. If someone is reserving a lounge chair with their personal belongings, ask an NCL employee to move their stuff. When the person comes back to complain to you, just say that the NCL employee moved their stuff and you had nothing to do with it. Watch them argue with the NCL employees and laugh.

 

5. Don't plan any excursions for Great Stirrup Cay. NCL will always skip it and they will refund $20 / person back to your account which is essentially free gratuity for a day of your cruise. Complain to Guest Services to get a complimentary bottle of wine and chocolate covered strawberries to your room.

[shrew]

You are mistaken but that is OK. Things have changed since you used to be a consultant. I'm not saying have it full blast cold the entire time, but completely turning off the AC is not cost efficient.

No, they haven't changed since I was an energy consultant. My HVAC knowledge is up-to-date. Regardless, the ship hasn't been built in the last few years since I've been in IT. Its systems are not brand new, state-of-the-art.

[chisai]

Thank everyone for posting your thoughts; planning for our first NCL cruise.

[denatravels]

1. Always complain directly to the maitre d' in the dining rooms about the poor, slow service on NCL cruises. They will send you a complimentary bottle of wine and chocolate covered strawberries to your room. Do it everyday for free dessert and alcohol.

 

 

 

I complained to the maitre d on several occasions last week about both cold food and mediocre or poor service— what I got was hot food and better service. On the last night, he actually waited on me and the service was fantastic and my food was hot.

 

 

 

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[Diamond lover]

I would have enjoyed more of the frivolity in the atrium of The Escape. When we finally clued in accidentally (happened upon the hilarious dance contest) we had missed so many already, like The Newlywed Game etc, thinking they would be “hokey”.

 

I would have made a point of seeing comedian Dean Edwards more than once. He was freaking hilarious. I would have caught as many Beau (piano) and Orly (guitarist) moments as I could. SUCH talent.

 

I would have asked if I could sit in front of the stage in the Manhattan dining room, to really enjoy the dinner show.

 

I would have stayed for back to back cruises

 

BTW, thank you maniacal....agree 100%. I was embarrassed for some of the people I heard complaining....knowing they just were scammers looking for something for nothing. Sad society...

Edited March 5, 2018 by Diamond lover
Adding a comment

[purpleally]

Just got off my first. I swear, I read EVERYTHING but I did not know that the luggage tags were available at 10 am the day before the last full day. I read about it at midnight Friday. By the time I got there the early color tags were gone

[jamminlion]

Here's my .02:

 

- just because there is food in front of you, does not mean you have to eat - pace yourself!

 

- highlighter for dailies and post its for notes for cabin steward or travelling companions

 

- you do not have to put your luggage out the night before, you can take it off the ship yourself, but if you do put your luggage out, make sure you set aside clothing and important accessories like shoes aside, and not packed. I've seen a few people disembark in pajamas. For real.

 

- it's a major cost savings to book excursions yourself, outside the cruise line offerings. You will also have a better experience in a small group

 

- do not buy jewelry in port or on board. I'm sure there are those people who have never had a problem. But I've also never read a review or comment that it was the deal of the century. Buy jewelry from your trusted jeweler at home

 

- you do not have to run yourself ragged going from one activity to the next. It's vacation after all. Take a moment to enjoy the wake of the ship, the view, the sea air, etc.

 

-wash your hands with soap and water - often

 

- everyone paid alot of money for their vacation too. Just bring your manners, and put them to good use.

[Victress2007]

Here's my .02:

 

- do not buy jewelry in port or on board. I'm sure there are those people who have never had a problem. But I've also never read a review or comment that it was the deal of the century. Buy jewelry from your trusted jeweler at home

 

 

Buying unique jewelry from around the world is one of the joys of traveling! Shop at established stores. That being said, I probably wouldn't buy a 2 carat diamond from someone I didn't trust. I've bought several pieces on board NCL ships and they are all quality pieces. We add to our "collection" on every vacation.

 

Vic

[gambit57]

Sooo about Freestyle dining- my husband and I did a last minute Florida/Bahamas cruise in 2013 on the Breakaway. It was a brand new ship then and I was so excited. We were new to freestyle dining (we usually have the late seating with Carnival) and knew nothing about how to go about it. We ate at the buffet every night as all the MDR lines were crazy long. Fast forward to April 2, 2017. Breakaway to the Florida/Bahamas take two- this time I made reservations for every restaurant we wanted to eat it, including speciality ones and also booked a show. It was so nice to know where we were going every night and what time. I made reservations for later on the days we were off the ship- GSC. Much better experience once I did some research and found out that we could book times in the MDR's. We actually really liked it!! [emoji267][emoji274][emoji484]

 

 

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Crazy long lines at the MDR? Needing to make reservations? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of Freestyle's anytime dining?

[Andersoncd]

1. If you've ever wondered what it would be like to stand in the middle of a crowded hallway while everyone tries to squeeze around you, you are in luck. You will experience this multiple times. Heck, you may even be lucky enough to have someone come to a complete stop right in front of you for no apparent reason at all.

2. Disregard the lines at the buffet. It is perfectly fine to just butt right in and grab what you want.

3. Go ahead and grab any lounge chair by the pool. In fact, the staff frequently places towels on the loungers so you don't have to be bothered with bringing your own. Heck, they sometimes will even leave you a book to read too.

4. Feel free to arrive at the show five or ten minutes late. No one will mind you walking up and down the aisles looking for a seat close to the stage. Or you could arrive 30 minutes early and save a bunch of seats for your friends. That's OK too.

5. And speaking of the show theater, be sure to sit in the middle and wait until the theater is full to order your drinks. No one minds handing them to you in the dark when the show has started.

6. At your first port of call, go ahead and buy a few bottles of cheap liquor for your room when you get back on board.

 

There's plenty more you have to look forward to. Bon Voyage!

[gambit57]

Lol ^^^

[grandmarnnurse]

Crazy long lines at the MDR? Needing to make reservations? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of Freestyle's anytime dining?

I was going to say the same thing! Nothing like my experience twice on the Getaway which caused me to fall in love with the FREEDOM of Freestyle Cruising! And we ate in our choice of 3 MDRs every night with no lines, and the longest I waited this last time was 5 minutes because there was 9 of us! We just sat and had a cocktail at the bar while we waited for them to get our table ready. I’m going to have a hard time on my next 2 cruises, one on Carnival and one on RCCL, because I will miss the freedom of Freestyle Cruising. Sure, I know, they have My Time Dining, but it is just not the same. There really isn’t that freedom to choose different restaurants that NCL has.

[gambit57]

I was going to say the same thing! Nothing like my experience twice on the Getaway which caused me to fall in love with the FREEDOM of Freestyle Cruising! And we ate in our choice of 3 MDRs every night with no lines, and the longest I waited this last time was 5 minutes because there was 9 of us! We just sat and had a cocktail at the bar while we waited for them to get our table ready.

 

That's what I thought was more typical, although I'd give them 10-15 minutes to find a table to be generous. Maybe it was a bad cruise. It happens.

[tel1024]

false

 

 

 

What do you mean false?

I’ve heard from many people that it’s only if you have your own wine in a restaurant. And they don’t charge you when you’re boarding the ship. Can you please explain.

 

 

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[mjkacmom]

Crazy long lines at the MDR? Needing to make reservations? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of Freestyle's anytime dining?

We are a family of 7, never waited more than a few minutes on the Breakaway or Gem. There was a line, it moved very quickly. I never had a chance to grab a drink at the bar before dinner.

[mjkacmom]

What do you mean false?

I’ve heard from many people that it’s only if you have your own wine in a restaurant. And they don’t charge you when you’re boarding the ship. Can you please explain.

 

 

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You will be charged $15 per bottle before boarding, as many bottles as you wish. You can drink it anywhere.

[biker@sea]

What do you mean false?

I’ve heard from many people that it’s only if you have your own wine in a restaurant. And they don’t charge you when you’re boarding the ship. Can you please explain.

 

 

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You heard wrong.

You pay the corkage fee @ the pier.

[tel1024]

You will be charged $15 per bottle before boarding, as many bottles as you wish. You can drink it anywhere.

 

 

 

Interesting because other people on my cruise and friends who’ve cruised before had different experiences.

 

But that’s what I had assumed was they’d charge you when boarding.

 

 

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[Tgrfan82]

Nevermind.

[lennydebbie]

It’s Belieze city for me. I won’t go back without booking an excursion.

 

 

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Why?

 

 

 

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[Tgrfan82]

Why?

 

 

 

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I misread the question initially....but I say Belize City just because there was nothing to do at the port. We were not allowed to leave the gates without an excursion. There were armed guards at the gate. Felt very uneasy. Other passengers that we spoke with had excursions and had a great time.

 

 

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