Another NCL newbie question. Is vibe worth $249

[Sthrngary]

14 hours ago, smellywax said:

Is vibe worth $249 for a week?

@smellywax Here are my rules for the Vibe Beach Club.  If you are not in the Haven, the Vibe is Excellent.  If you want me to comment more just ask.  Won't ever do a room outside the Haven without the Vibe.  The next rule I have about the vibe is, better on bigger ships.  The Joy actually has in my humble opinion the best vibe because it is on both sides of the ship.  Again, I call this Haven Lite. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[PATRLR]

1 minute ago, Sthrngary said:

The Joy actually has in my humble opinion the best vibe because it is on both sides of the ship.

Gary - Encore's is on both sides too, don't know if you knew that.   I agree, being side to side makes a difference, especially for folks like us who like shade. 

 

[UKstages]

i've never done the vibe... i am considering it for next week on the joy. it's sold out, but, typically, a few spots become available. where do i head to inquire if i'm among the first onboard? would that be guest services or the social, where, if memory serves, they often do restaurant reservations?

[Sthrngary]

5 minutes ago, PATRLR said:

Gary - Encore's is on both sides too, don't know if you knew that.   I agree, being side to side makes a difference, especially for folks like us who like shade. 

 

@PATRLR Thank you and of course you are right.  I did just go on the breakaway, paid just a tad more and got a cabana in the Vibe.  That was nice option and my wife loved it.  

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[Sthrngary]

1 minute ago, UKstages said:

i've never done the vibe... i am considering it for next week on the joy. it's sold out, but, typically, a few spots become available. where do i head to inquire if i'm among the first onboard? would that be guest services or the social, where, if memory serves, they often do restaurant reservations?

It is where they do the restaurant reservations.  

[PATRLR]

8 minutes ago, UKstages said:

i am considering it for next week on the joy. it's sold out, but, typically, a few spots become available.

I'm not sure "typically" is the correct word here.  I've only heard of rare instances where someone got lucky on board and got some passes. Not trying to be argumentative, just trying to set expectations.  

One other point to consider - check to see if there are Vibe Cabanas available (if the Joy even has them).  The Cabanas include 2 Vibe passes, and run only about $100 more than the cost of the 2 passes. 

Edited October 14, 2023 by PATRLR

[UKstages]

thanks, that would normally be a great idea, since i'm using OBC, but i'm traveling solo.

 

i've actually heard of a lot of instances where people scored vibe passes onboard... and, yes, i'm talking about after NCL switched to selling them online in advance.

 

if i'm successful, i'll report back next week.

Edited October 14, 2023 by UKstages

[vacation44]

7 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Paying money for the Vibe is never worth it. 

As you have said many, many times, I have said many, many times we would never cruise on a larger ship without it.   Worth every penny to us.  Everyone picks and chooses how to spend their money,  and we choose to use it on the Vibe.

 

 

[meatball_nyc]

1 hour ago, PATRLR said:

One other point to consider - check to see if there are Vibe Cabanas available (if the Joy even has them). 

no Vibe Cabanas on Joy July 6, 2023 sailing. Too windy for umbrellas too. 
Still a great cruise/vibe to Bermuda. 
 

hope this helps. Happy Sailing. 
 

[phoenix1181]

4 hours ago, UKstages said:

i've never done the vibe... i am considering it for next week on the joy. it's sold out, but, typically, a few spots become available. where do i head to inquire if i'm among the first onboard? would that be guest services or the social, where, if memory serves, they often do restaurant reservations?

If you're on the 10/16 Joy cruise, I believe the NCL cruiser who posted the thread about not going because of no passport for his GF had Vibe passes.  Hope to see you there!

[IAcruising]

27 minutes ago, phoenix1181 said:

If you're on the 10/16 Joy cruise, I believe the NCL cruiser who posted the thread about not going because of no passport for his GF had Vibe passes.  Hope to see you there!

 

That's a keen sense of observation right there.

 

[UKstages]

that's very funny... but, um, is that actually true?

[phoenix1181]

31 minutes ago, UKstages said:

that's very funny... but, um, is that actually true?

If you're referring to my comment, it's true.  He posted elsewhere that we would see him in Vibe.

[Two Wheels Only]

6 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

The Joy actually has in my humble opinion the best vibe because it is on both sides of the ship. 

 

 

 

Have you seen the current VIBE Beach Club on Getaway? 😲

[bkrickles1]

6 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

 

 

Have you seen the current VIBE Beach Club on Getaway? 😲

I'm sailing Getaway at the end of April, 2024 for 10 days and I just booked Vibe for $289 per person. 

It's my first time booking Vibe. We always cruise with others. Usually anywhere from 10 to 20 people and it always includes children, so we never have had the opportunity to book Vibe without dumping the majority of our group. And my wife loves to be with the kids too much to not spend the majority of our time with them. 

This time it'll be just my wife, myself and our 23 year old daughter. 

Not only will Vibe get us away from the crowds, it'll be nice if the 3 of us want to go have a nice sit down breakfast or lunch and not leave someone behind to save chairs. We can come and go as we please and always have space to enjoy our day. 

So looking forward to it and definitely will be worth it! 

[vacation44]

1 hour ago, bkrickles1 said:

I'm sailing Getaway at the end of April, 2024 for 10 days and I just booked Vibe for $289 per person. 

It's my first time booking Vibe. We always cruise with others. Usually anywhere from 10 to 20 people and it always includes children, so we never have had the opportunity to book Vibe without dumping the majority of our group. And my wife loves to be with the kids too much to not spend the majority of our time with them. 

This time it'll be just my wife, myself and our 23 year old daughter. 

Not only will Vibe get us away from the crowds, it'll be nice if the 3 of us want to go have a nice sit down breakfast or lunch and not leave someone behind to save chairs. We can come and go as we please and always have space to enjoy our day. 

So looking forward to it and definitely will be worth it! 

I am pretty confident the three of you will love it.  

[Sthrngary]

3 hours ago, bkrickles1 said:

I'm sailing Getaway at the end of April, 2024 for 10 days and I just booked Vibe for $289 per person. 

It's my first time booking Vibe. We always cruise with others. Usually anywhere from 10 to 20 people and it always includes children, so we never have had the opportunity to book Vibe without dumping the majority of our group. And my wife loves to be with the kids too much to not spend the majority of our time with them. 

This time it'll be just my wife, myself and our 23 year old daughter. 

Not only will Vibe get us away from the crowds, it'll be nice if the 3 of us want to go have a nice sit down breakfast or lunch and not leave someone behind to save chairs. We can come and go as we please and always have space to enjoy our day. 

So looking forward to it and definitely will be worth it! 

@bkrickles1 I write about the NCL Haven all the time and know it well.  That fact will add value to my next comment.  The NCL Vibe Beach Club will make a cruise for my wife and I.  Here is why.  

1. The Crew:  They are their all the time, they look for ways to make sure your week is a great one. 
2. The Amenities:  They will bring umbrella's to your chair, the chairs have cushions, they even have frozen fruit and ice water they bring to you. The Haven has staff but not many.  No frozen fruit or help with umbrella's. Crazy right.
3. The Bar:  Just a normal bar but in the Vibe area.  Where there is no bar in the Haven sundeck.  
4. The Hot Tub:  I love the Getaway and stayed in a Haven Spa Suite.  The Haven sundeck did not have a Hot Tub because there were two in the Haven courtyard.  The Getaway Vibe does have hot tubs.  Again, Crazy right. 

 

My wife now always insists on the Vibe Beach Club because it makes her cruise.  That should get you excited.  BTW, I love, love, love the Getaway.  

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[got2havefun]

If you have an inside or ocean room, it gives you a taste of what a balcony would be like at a fraction of booking a balcony room.

[Maleficent's Dad]

We had Vibe passes this past July (on the Joy).  There were 6 of us on a Saturday - Sunday (9 days, theoretically) cruise with several sea days.  The Vibe, quite literally, made our trip.  My family has stated that they won't cruise again without Vibe passes.  Our friends stated the same.

By the second day, the bartenders knew all of us by name.  We knew all about them and their homes/families.  My kids (in their 20's) are now "friends" with the bar staff on FB.

The personalized service, private (never crowded) bar, ice water carafes, frozen fruit skewers, finger sandwiches, cookies... it was a fabulous experience and worth every cent.

Our cruise was:

1. Sold out and very crowded, we witnessed the 6:30 A.M. chair hogs during morning walks.  So the Vibe was a haven (no pun intended).

2. In warm weather the entire time - great private sun deck.

3. Not port intensive (4 sea days, I believe).

 

Yes, everyone has opinions on such things.  And opinions are personal, not wrong.  Ours is that the Vibe is completely and totally worth it, and will do it again moving forward.

Edited October 15, 2023 by Maleficent's Dad

[sansroof]

18 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

 

 

Have you seen the current VIBE Beach Club on Getaway? 😲

Just got off the Getaway a few days ago and can confirm, the current Vibe is awesome.  We were in northernish Europe (Hamburg, Amsterdam, etc) and it wasn't exactly balmy but we enjoyed having the hot tub basically to ourselves and incredibly attentive bar service, as well as meeting some nice folks.  We had a cabana and it was like having a little fort to hang out in - highly recommend.  Also, not sure if this is a new benefit or I just missed it in my research, but the bartender gave us two big boxes of the "Acqua" water every day to bring back to our cabin which was nice to have!

[UKstages]

On 10/14/2023 at 6:52 PM, UKstages said:

if i'm successful, i'll report back next week.

well, it’s not next week, but I thought I’d report back, since I’ve been on the ship since 11:15 or so. first stop was the social to inquire about vibe passes. 
 

they don’t actually do them there, but at a table set up outside teppanyaki. i was the first one to ask… and I got one. $309 for twelve days. (I’m using OBC, which is why I didn’t buy in advance.)

 

i asked if I got one because of cancellations. she said no, they hold a set number back for sale on the day. and i looked down and she had about thirty welcome packets there… yes, I counted. the key card printer was having problems, so she walked me over to guest services where she printed my new card, coded for the vibe. and then I stopped at cruise next to set up behind the scenes tour and wines around the world. (they are not doing dinner with officers on this journey.)

so, that definitively answers that often asked question about pass availability. not sure if that’s a new policy - holding back passes for sale on the day- or just for this cruise, but that was my experience today.

 

i’m in the vibe now and it’s really lovely. i may come back for sailaway.

[Sthrngary]

2 minutes ago, UKstages said:

well, it’s not next week, but I thought I’d report back, since I’ve been on the ship since 11:15 or so. first stop was the social to inquire about vibe passes. 
 

they don’t actually do them there, but at a table set up outside teppanyaki. i was the first one to ask… and I got one. $309 for twelve days. (I’m using OBC, which is why I didn’t buy in advance.)

 

i asked if I got one because of cancellations. she said no, they hold a set number back for sale on the day. and i looked down and she had about thirty welcome packets there… yes, I counted. the key card printer was having problems, so she walked me over to guest services where she printed my new card, coded for the vibe. and then I stopped at cruise next to set up behind the scenes tour and wines around the world. (they are not doing dinner with officers on this journey.)

so, that definitively answers that often asked question about pass availability. not sure if that’s a new policy - holding back passes for sale on the day- or just for this cruise, but that was my experience today.

 

i’m in the vibe now and it’s really lovely. i may come back for sailaway.

@UKstages I am so happy for you.  Congrats.  Enjoy your time in the Vibe, I know I did.  Much easier to meet new people as well.  Enjoy.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[vacation44]

14 minutes ago, UKstages said:

well, it’s not next week, but I thought I’d report back, since I’ve been on the ship since 11:15 or so. first stop was the social to inquire about vibe passes. 
 

they don’t actually do them there, but at a table set up outside teppanyaki. i was the first one to ask… and I got one. $309 for twelve days. (I’m using OBC, which is why I didn’t buy in advance.)

 

i asked if I got one because of cancellations. she said no, they hold a set number back for sale on the day. and i looked down and she had about thirty welcome packets there… yes, I counted. the key card printer was having problems, so she walked me over to guest services where she printed my new card, coded for the vibe. and then I stopped at cruise next to set up behind the scenes tour and wines around the world. (they are not doing dinner with officers on this journey.)

so, that definitively answers that often asked question about pass availability. not sure if that’s a new policy - holding back passes for sale on the day- or just for this cruise, but that was my experience today.

 

i’m in the vibe now and it’s really lovely. i may come back for sailaway.

Congratulations!    The Vibe is a great place to be for sailaway.   

[mexicobob]

Sorry if it is stupid question.....but where do you sign up for The Vibe. Can you do it in advance. We will be on The Breakaway in February and sounds like something we should do. First time on NCL. Last cruise was on Oceania so will be a big change that maybe The Vibe can smooth over. 

[IAcruising]

1 hour ago, mexicobob said:

Sorry if it is stupid question.....but where do you sign up for The Vibe. Can you do it in advance.

 

Yes, if it isn't sold out. It will be the first item available under Entertainment on the app.