New NCLer and have some ?'s

[CocoKai]

Hi! We will be going to Alaska on the Pearl this summer and I have a few questions about NCL.

 

Room Service: Is it only one menu or can you order from other restaurant menus when they are in operation?

 

Ice Cream: Is it free?

 

Hot Chocolate: Is it free at breakfast? Is it free with room service?

 

DVD's: I see mini-suites don't have players. Do the TV's have jacks to connect a portable?

 

We've only cruised Princess and HAL so I'm not quite sure what to expect with NCL. Please tell me I won't be disappointed!!!!

[chrisbd1]

Which ship are you sailing on?

[Toyz711]

ice cream is free on all the NCL ships.

the ones that have hard packed right now, should be getting soft-serve when freestyle 2.0 gets started (the upgrade to some features of NCL ships)

hot chocolate packets should be in the buffet and in the blue lagoon diner (if your ship has one). it's nice to use the packets, with the hot water form the coffee make...on your balcony for glacier viewing. for alaska, at times they do have hot chocolate...

with the 2.0 upgrades, no one can tell you what the room service menu will be. it's changing.

right now, for regular cabins...it's a limited menu. no ordering from the other dining venues. for suites: different menus and, yes, you can order form the other dining areas...your butler would take care of it. (surcharges would apply) but with changes on the way, we are (ALL) waitng to hear.

[CocoKai]

What do you mean by surcharges? Tips? or more money for room service?

 

On HAL, you order whatever you like and they deliver. You tip at your discretion but there is no additional fee or line item to tip when you sign. How does NCL differ? Also, grades of cabins don't get different menus.

 

We booked a mini-suite when they had concierge, priority embarkation etc. That seems to have gone away. Do mini-suites have limited menus now?

 

I'm nervous about this NCL thing. I'm the leader of our reservations with another family and things seem to be degrading not improving with NCL.

[Toyz711]

don't know if i can be of much help...we have a great time on NCL. but i hate tradiational dining and set hours. plus i don't use room service.

 

by surcharges, i mean that if someone in a regular suite..not a mini-suite, that they can order from the speciality restauratant. if that speciality has a surcharge, that surcharge would still apply. cabins that have butler service have this option, since it's the butler that delivers.

no one call tell you what perks or room service changes will be YET. when the upgrades start, we will..all...be finding out for the 1st time. from what has be listed, upgraded room service menus should start next month?

same with what new perks will be offered to the minis and the balconies...we just don't know yet. reports should be coming soon.

[chrisbd1]

Doh! She said she was sailing on the Pearl :o .

 

You can't order room service from the dining rooms. Do additional fee for room service.

 

By June 1st 2008, NCL will have different room service menus, so no ne knows what will be on them.

 

Here's Freestyle 2.0 from NCL's Pressroom

 

Guests on Norwegian Jade's March 30 12-day Classic Mediterranean cruise will be the first to experience the Freestyle 2.0 initiatives. Additional ships will launch Freestyle 2.0 within the following weeks, with fleet-wide roll out implemented by June 1, 2008. More specific details of the enhancements include:

• Freestyle Dining:
  • A "bubbly welcome" - a welcome aboard glass of bubbly for everyone;
    
  • New menus with expanded choices in every restaurant;
    
  • Lobster Galore - Lobster in the main restaurant twice per cruise and in every specialty restaurant every night of the cruise;
    
  • Steak & Eggs Breakfast Feast in Teppanyaki restaurant with unlimited Bloody Mary's and mimosas;
    
  • Lavazza coffee in all Java Cafes and top suites;
    
  • A signature specialty dish in every restaurant, including the following:
    • Le Bistro: Côte de Boeuf, a 32-ounce premium gold angus rib eye steak; Plateau de Fruits de Mar, a cold seafood platter including mussels, lobster tail, shrimp and raw oysters on the half shell; and Cardinal of the Seas, a braised Maine lobster;
      
    • Italian: Osso Buco, Lobster Ravioli;
      
    • Cagney's: Maine Lobster, 32oz Porterhouse, Surf & Turf, Alaskan King Crab Legs;
      
    • Tex-Mex: Jumbo Tiger Prawns;
      
    • Asian: Szechuan Stir-fried Maine Lobster;
      
    • Action Station: Chocolate Fountains;

    [*]The action station restaurants will also receive plasma menu boards, a world-class salad bar, soft serve ice cream machines, and improved service and nighttime ambiance with tablecloths and candlelight;

    [*]A new and expanded room service menu.

  [*]Stateroom Experience:

  • Elemis bathroom amenities;
    
  • Memory foam mattress toppers;
    
  • Pillow upgrade and addition of Euro pillows to all beds;
    
  • Upgraded linens;
    • All beds will receive a top sheet.

    [*]Expanded mini-bar options and item customization option;

    [*]Upgraded room service menus.

  [*]Balcony and Mini Suites, all of the above plus:

  • Bathrobes;
    
  • Customized Fruit Menu;
    
  • Fresh-baked cookie at turn down on last night of cruise;
    
  • Escort to stateroom on embarkation day;
    
  • Special color keycard;
    
  • Priority Restaurant Reservation and Reception hotlines.

  [*]Suites and Villas, all of the above plus:

  • NCL branded bedding collection;
    • Upgraded mattress, linens and feather pillows.

    [*]Upgraded sofa bed;

    [*]MP3 Player connections;

    [*]Pillow Menu;

    [*]Plush Bathrobes;

    [*]Customized Fruit Menu;

    [*]Customized Canapé Menu;

    [*]Turndown cookie last night of cruise;

    [*]Personal escort to stateroom on embarkation;

    [*]Bottle (or Half Bottle depending on category of suite) of Moet Chandon White Star Champagne upon embarkation;

    [*]Priority Restaurant Reservation and Reception Hotlines;

    [*]Special color keycard for ship-wide recognition;

    [*]VIP Breakfast & Lunch in Cagney's;

    [*]Private Breakfast & Lunch with action station set-up in Courtyard for Villa Guests;

    [*]Dedicated Butler in Courtyard.

  [*]On-board activities:

  • An enhanced educational, entertainment and lifestyle program - NCL "U" - offering a range of new classes in:
    • Humor hosted by Second City;
      
    • Food, wine and spirits;
      
    • Destination education;
      
    • Digital technology.

    [*]Library transformed into a coffee shop atmosphere with:

    • Implementation of honor system for book borrowing;
      
    • Complimentary coffee and tea;
      
    • Plasma screens (muted) broadcasting news.

    [*]Enhanced nightlife with new party experiences, such as:

    • NCL's White Hot Party;
      
    • NCL's Monte Carlo night.

    [*]An enhanced Pool Deck experience:

    • Entertainment taken upscale;
      
    • Relaxing ambient music;
      
    • Drink flags on all deck chairs;
      
    • Pool of indulgence - Evian sprits, cold towels, etc.;
      
    • Quiet zones and times.

    [*]Exciting sports deck programming;

    [*]X-box game consoles in video arcades;

    [*]Expanded and increased flexibility of Kids Crew hours;

    [*]Enhanced Teen Centers to include:

    • X-box game consoles;
      
    • Nintendo Wii;
      
    • Table games such as foosball, billiards and air hockey.

[Sparkylok6]

What do you mean by surcharges? Tips? or more money for room service?

 

On HAL, you order whatever you like and they deliver. You tip at your discretion but there is no additional fee or line item to tip when you sign. How does NCL differ? Also, grades of cabins don't get different menus.

 

We booked a mini-suite when they had concierge, priority embarkation etc. That seems to have gone away. Do mini-suites have limited menus now?

 

I'm nervous about this NCL thing. I'm the leader of our reservations with another family and things seem to be degrading not improving with NCL.

 

Surcharges would apply if you were to order food from your Butler that comes from a specialty restaurant. ie: Cagneys, LeBistro, Teppanyaki, Bamboo. Butler services is not a perk of the mini-suites though.

 

Room Service is free, it is a limited menu though. I generally tip the delivery person approx. $2 each time we order...sometimes a dollar or two more if it is a large order (there are 3 of us...one being a teen boy..LOL)

 

Mini-Suites never had the same menus available as the Suites do, it has always been a limited menu. The only thing that was really lost was concierge. With Freestyle 2.0 they will be instituting other ways to make up for it though.

 

Check out the NCL website for the 2.0 stuff on the home page. If you are travelling after June 1, all of the 2.0 should be instituted.

 

Have a good cruise and don't let the little stuff bother you.

[WinterSky]

I'm nervous about this NCL thing. I'm the leader of our reservations with another family and things seem to be degrading not improving with NCL.

 

I expect that you will experience NCL as different than Princess and HAL but 'different' doesn't mean 'degraded'. We enjoyed our cruise on the NCL Gem so much that we wouldn't consider a more formal and less flexible cruise line. I think that if you have traveled on a more 'formal' cruise line you and you want NCL to replicate that, you may be disappointed. On the other hand, if you are traveling with NCL because you want to relax and enjoy a less formal and more flexible experience that offers beautiful ships, good entertainment, delicious food and great service, you are going to LOVE NCL!