Help! Taking mom and her husband on their first cruise and want to make it a breeze. Questions inside.

[BoatParts]

So I am not a first timer though it will be my first solo-ish one but my mom (76) and her husband (82) are. I want to make this whole thing as easy as possible for them so they can just enjoy everything.  Taking a 7 day on the Getaway from Canaveral (GSC, St Thomas, San Juan, DR).
 

CPAP machine - What do they need to bring and do I need to work with accommodations desk beforehand?

 

As a solo booking will I be able to make dinner reservations for 3?

Does the Getaway have any outdoor smoking area for cigars?  I think I remember Spice on other ships had a corner. 
 

Any suggestions for making it a good experience for them are welcome. They are easygoing which is awesome. 
 

Amy

[Wink87]

8 minutes ago, BoatParts said:

So I am not a first timer though it will be my first solo-ish one but my mom (76) and her husband (82) are. I want to make this whole thing as easy as possible for them so they can just enjoy everything.  Taking a 7 day on the Getaway from Canaveral (GSC, St Thomas, San Juan, DR).
 

CPAP machine - What do they need to bring and do I need to work with accommodations desk beforehand?

 

As a solo booking will I be able to make dinner reservations for 3?

Does the Getaway have any outdoor smoking area for cigars?  I think I remember Spice on other ships had a corner. 
 

Any suggestions for making it a good experience for them are welcome. They are easygoing which is awesome. 
 

Amy

Amy, ask your travel agent or NCL if you booked straight thru with them, to have distilled water and an extension cord for the cpap. Hubby has never had a problem. HOWEVER...we had the cabin attending use duct tape to tape the cord down as the outlet is across the room. quite the trip hazard! 

[Sailing12Away]

You can make reservations online as soon as it opens for you (or them) and can book for up to 8 people at a time if you wanted. If anyone in your group has priority booking (either through status or cabin type) then just have that person log in to book the reservation for as many seats as you need.

 

You can't do it for odd numbers, so just round up to 4 for a table for 3. When you get onboard you can always let them know you need one less chair. One less is no issue, one extra may be harder.

 

Outside of the specialty restaurants, I don't think you'll have a problem walking into the MDR without reservations and getting a table for 3. Larger groups are harder, but 2-4 people usually isn't too much of a wait if you just walk up.

[BirdTravels]

26 minutes ago, BoatParts said:

CPAP machine - What do they need to bring and do I need to work with accommodations desk beforehand?

 

As a solo booking will I be able to make dinner reservations for 3?

Does the Getaway have any outdoor smoking area for cigars?  I think I remember Spice on other ships had a corner. 
 

Any suggestions for making it a good experience for them are welcome. They are easygoing which is awesome. 
 

Amy

Amy, Have a Great Cruise!

 

CPAPs. The electrical outlets are on the desktop across the sofa. I.e., not close to bed. We carry a 6' and 12' light weight extension cords to bring power to the bedside for CPAPs.

 

CPAPs. There is link on this link to fill out to request distilled water for their CPAPs, if needed.

 

Dinner reservations: You can book a table for 3 (or more likely 4) yourself. It is not linked to individuals in the dining party. 

 

Cigars are suppose to be limited to

• cigar lounge, Deck 8 mid-ship,
• pool deck Deck 15 mid-ship port side, and
• Spice H20 Deck 16 aft, starboard

 

As soon as you embark, head to Headliners Comedy Club, Deck 6 mid-ship to make entertainment reservations. Main theater shows. Comedy shows. If you are into painting, Canvas By U can be booked ($35) where they step you through painting a masterpiece in an hour. 

 

After you make your entertainment, head across the hall to Teppanyaki to adjust your dining reservations. 

 

Edited August 8, 2022 by BirdTravels

[hernando52]

Contact the Access Desk regarding the need for distilled water.  NCL has a few long extension cords, but we bring a heavy duty 12' cord with us to plug in across the room.  It is a tripping hazard, so I would recommend getting heavy duty magnetic hooks and stringing the cord across the ceiling (walls & ceiling are metal) while the CPAP is in use. Unplug it during the day.  Make sure that they have a nightlight in their room

[annmarz]

3 hours ago, hernando52 said:

Contact the Access Desk regarding the need for distilled water.  NCL has a few long extension cords, but we bring a heavy duty 12' cord with us to plug in across the room.  It is a tripping hazard, so I would recommend getting heavy duty magnetic hooks and stringing the cord across the ceiling (walls & ceiling are metal) while the CPAP is in use. Unplug it during the day.  Make sure that they have a nightlight in their room

This is a great idea for taming the extension cord!  On a recent cruise on the Star, we used the bottom of the bed protective fabric cover (not sure what it is officially called!) to cover the extension cord on the floor.  It worked pretty well to prevent tripping over the cord. Not as elegant as stringing the cord across the ceiling, but simpler.  We unplugged the cord in the morning. We also always bring our own cord.

[BoatParts]

Thanks for all the great replies here, knew I could count on solid answers.  
 

Adding nightlights and an extension cord to my cart now then adding a call about the distilled water. 
 

Looking forward to watching them enjoy everything and I’m excited to experience a Studio since my wife can’t take time off for this one. It’s my first back since 2/2020!