david_sobe

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing. I have only sailed from the port of Miami. Now that Miami has its own separate Haven security line maybe they will also have priority luggage? ****sigh*** its Miami so dont hold your breath.

I am not knocking them because there is no such thing as a bad dessert IMHO. But sometimes the meal is so good I hate to ruin it by a mediocre dessert. I found the cheesecakes to be average without much taste. I do agree the Tiramisu is excellent. But my peeve is the apple stuff. I love apple pie and especially with ice cream. The apple pie desserts just disappoint me every time. I think they used to have an apple crumble at Cagneys. Its something I would expect to get at Dennys ( and I am not knocking Dennys). Many years ago this board used to say the NCL desserts were no bake types. I am no pastry chef so I have no idea. The desserts on NCL are like what you would get at your local grocery store. Meh. Best idea: Stick to ice cream!

Its tough work. I read an article once that said a disproportionate amount of cruise line suicides (jumping from the ship) are photographers. There is lots of pressure on them to sell photos and take as many photos as possible. It just put a seed in my head to never be rude to a photographer no matter how pushy they may seem. Its long hours, away from home, and very isolated living in small quarters. Its a little like the military where some small minority very desperate people join just to survive.

Cruise ship workers are no different than the rest of the population including us here on CC. They are not immune from criminal behavior like everyone else. I live in Miami and cruise ship workers are always in the news for something happening on board. I still would say they are better than the general population and would feel safer with them then the general population. There was a cruise ship worker (not NCL) recently that hid in the cabins of women when they showered. He hid under the bed. Pretty scary stuff. But these kind of perverts sadly are everywhere including police, politicians, teachers, and cruise ship workers. etc.

OMG Please dont give NCL any ideas 😆 The best perk is the Haven restaurant is open on port days. Nothing like coming back to the ship hungry and sundrenched and having options other than the buffet or The Local.

Thanks for sharing. The rule of thumb used to be you don't get to the Haven until you pass the security line. Everyone went through security together which used to confuse some people. But in Miami they really changed things up.

I'm really impressed. This takes priority embarkation to a new level in Miami. I am still surprised they do it because there are not that many suite passengers and the port pays the security screeners, no? For smaller ships you could show up at any time and wiz through security. It puts a new meaning behind priority embarkation. This is a brand new terminal. Any other ports have a separate security line? I know they all have the Haven lounges but have its own security screening line? Why does it not say Haven boarding or Haven boarding only in this area? In the old terminal there were signs.

I have not been to the new Miami NCL terminal yet. The Haven has a separate security line now? The old terminal everyone went through security before separating to Haven and general boarding.

The Sky does not have a Haven complex but it still has Haven suites. You will be entitled to enter the Haven pre-boarding lounge and have priority embarkation. I dont know if they still do it but with such a small number of suites, the Sky butlers would come down to the lounge and personally escort you on the ship. Once past security, look for the Haven signs.

Something about NCL desserts that make them look way better than they taste.

I cant wait until the photos start leaking and being released. What will the new atrium look like?

The slides on all the Jewel Class ships were removed, correct? They were pretty much for kiddies. I love the pool decks on these ships because of having 2 pools and there is space and not giant slides taking up so much room.

Has anyone ever been on a cruise like this before?

I did not really want a solarium. However the Epic has a rare and fantastic feature with forward facing cabins. You could not enjoy a balcony facing forward with all the wind. The view sailing forward almost makes you feel like you are on your own private yacht. I did not think I would like the solarium until I saw how big it is. The solarium is bigger than the balconies and the views are very peaceful. But if being outside is important to you which it sounds like it is then I would not book it.

To each their own. This would never interest me in the least and I would not want to be on board. But kudos to those that think this is fun. I wont judge anyone but I had a weird experience at a nude beach once. I dont get into nudity at all. But when I moved to Florida I kept hearing how beautiful this one beach was and a part of it was a nude beach. I thought no big deal people are sun bathing in the nude. I kept in my trunks but I sort of got a weird vibe. I got the vibe that people loved to get up, walk around, and let people see them naked. It really creeped me out. I wanted the naked people to stay on their towels. Most of the people were really old too which is a whole different conversation. So I think the pool area would not be for me. 🙉🙈 Does anyone remember the Golden Girls episode where Rose books them at a nudist camp by accident. They wait all weekend to get up the courage to partake in the festivities and go to dinner naked only to have everyone laugh at them as the waiter says "we wear clothes for dinner." So funny! 😆