tombec1

In New York, the locals give you the finger... 

* I was born and raised in NY, and I'm kidding about the sendoff, btw.

I'm on this sailing. Ask your question on the roll call: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2435472

Several folks on the roll call have done this cruise before. I'm sure they'll be able to help you out.

Thanks for the ideas. I'm not a big slot player. I usually play table games, and only spend a few hrs at the 'low roller' slots over the course of a cruise.

I've searched and couldn't find the answer, so hopefully someone here knows.

I'm organizing a slot pull for a TA sailing. We've got 100 folks signed up, with 50 days to go, and we get a few more additions every week.

In the past , everyone would kick in $20, and we'd hit a $5 max bet machine, with everyone getting 4 pulls. With over 100 people, this would be an all day event. I'd rather find us a $20 machine, and give everyone one pull.

On to my question - does NCL (and specifically the Epic) have any $20 slot machines?

Thanks in advance...

We've stayed in 16706 a few years back. My son & I didn't mind it, but my wife and daughter (mostly daughter) are prone to motion sickness, and when we hit some rough seas, they were in bad shape. I thought it was fun... bonus - free roller coaster ride. :D

After that cruise, we've choosen H4 rooms as far aft back as possible, both on the Epic and Getaway, and we've been happy with them. So keep in mind the motion aspect if you have anyone prone to motion sickness!

My wife & I were in Alaska for a few days in 2016 (not a cruise). We didn't see any lights while driving around Alaska.

We had a 9pm flight on 10/2 out of Anchorage - heading back to the East Coast. We saw the lights for several hours once our plane took off. It was really cool. So you may luck out if you've got a late evening flight after the cruise.

Many year ago we used a 'freedom flask'. Google it. It's like a fanny pack. Just use it to get on the ship and through security.

You don't have to dispense like the videos show. ;p

Agreed. Shore-side concierge is great on the phone. Nothing is ever how I request in the room. I have a CPAP and always ask for distilled water, and always end up having to ask for it when I board.

I have a CPAP too, and the accessability desk ( accessdesk@ncl.com ) typically takes care of the distilled water. I guess you can ask the concierge too, though. ;p

From my experience, it's hit and miss whether or not things are actually in place when you board the ship. All of my requests have been simple - mattress topper on the bed, memory foam pillows, & clean out the minibar.

Be prepared to follow up and make your requests again when you make it to your stateroom. :D

I will be in the Heaven for this 13 day cruise from Barcelona to Orlando, November 2018. Looking forward to see the Epic's Heaven. Although I will be doing the back-to back (starting with the 7 day cruise on October 28) I did not book the heaven for that one. As there is only 1 day at sea and for the 6 other days, I will be off the ship for about 8 hours per day, I don't think it worth the extra. The Heaven is great when you have lots of sea days.

If you haven't already done so, join the 2018 TA Roll Call, and add yourself to the spreadsheet.

Roll Call - https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2435472&page=59

Spreadsheet - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1J0MxQbynfnAZuxTv_4lPWe9g8NnrA7JHxIspMkic5MI/edit?usp=sharing

We're in a Haven H4 on this sailing.

I did this on the Getaway the first week of this month with no issues. Your phone and your carrier must support and allow WiFi calling.

 

Also I’ve heard the “free” 250 minutes are throttled and VERY slow. We upgraded from the free minutes to the premium unlimited. I have no experience trying to use the free ones for WiFi calling.

Can you tell me how much it cost to upgrade? In 2016, we upgraded our package on the Epic, and I think it was around $89.

I'm booked on the Epic TA in November already, using the TR Diamond discount through CAS. This cruise is outside of the offer dates... but I registered anyway to see what would happen. :D

I got an email from Total Rewards this morning:

Link: https://www.caesars.com/total-rewards/promotions/email-promotions/opt-in/cruisin-into-summer

Maybe we were lucky, but we sailed over Xmas to the Caribbean in the Haven on the Epic and Getaway, and we had no problems with the weather. We used all of the outside Haven facilities, including Posh.

My family and I have sailed the 2 bedroom H4 on the Getaway and on the Epic.

As others have said - Epic wins. :) There's the bigger Haven area and restaurant, Posh, and a better bar and lounge.

The 'secret elevators' from the pool deck to the Haven and Posh are pretty cool too. :cool:

The only thing we liked better on the Getaway were some of the staff... Virginia the concirege and Kalai the Haven maitre'd.

We liked the Epic H4 so much, that we're doing the November trans-atlantic on the Epic in the same H4 room we had last time.

I'm a very plain / picky eater too. I eat the same stuff as your boyfriend - minus the shrimp. :D My burger/chicken order always includes the phrase "I'd like it plain - bread, meat, bread - that's it!'

My wife eats almost anything, our son is a little more adventurous than me , and our daughter is a vegetarian. It's no small feat finding a restaurant we'll all be happy at.

All of that being said - I've never had a problem finding something in the Haven or anywhere else on a ship. If he's ok with speaking up and asking for something plain, your boyfriend will be fine.

No real need to book shows far in advance if you're staying in the Haven. The concierge always has tickets set aside and the best seats in the theater are roped off for Haven guests (as long as you get there early enough).

Yeah.. our first cruise, we prebooked everything. We've learned alot since then. :D

Many nights we didn't feel like doing what we prebooked at whatever times we selected months earlier, because we were beat from excursions or whatever. It's nice having the flexability to hit up the concierge a few hours beforehand for restaurants or shows. Sometimes you strike out, but more often than not, it's not a problem.

No reservations needed for the Haven Restaurant.

As others have said, we've bailed on booking speciality restaurant's when we had the UDP, and we'd eat at the Haven.

You can go when you want, there's typically no wait, and it's quiet. They'll even bring you something that's not on their menu.. if it's found in a MDR or any of the specialty restaurant's, just ask and you can get it in the Haven.

I had my sister-in-law's bday wrong when I added her to our room. I called NCL and they fixed it without issues.

It's not like the airlines - it was super easy!

I've stayed in the Haven on the NCL Epic on the 16th deck. It's right above the garden cafe, and we never heard a peep.

Also - the Haven restaurants I've been in on the Getaway and Epic are typically quiet, with a carpeted floor - so you won't hear chairs sliding around.

Can't you wait and have the Concierge book it if you are in a Haven? Don't they hold back reservations for this purpose?

Yes. They can work magic and get you in even when they're no availability.

Single guy so never thought about multiple cards on the same account. Are your wife & kids authorized users on your account or do they have there own accounts. Thinking I could add my mother & oldest nephew as authorized users if this works out for you. Please update later how you make out when you get a chance.

 

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My wife and kids are all authorized users on my cards (other than the Platinum), and none of the ones they have had the NCL offer.

I did have my son sign up for the Blue Cash card when he turned 18 (as his personal card), and he had the offer on that card only. So I'm going to have him pay $500 towards my upcoming cruise and I'll give him the money for it.

I'm also going to sign up fro the Blue Cash card myself.. which currently has a promo to spend $1k in 3mos , and get a $150 statement credit. I'll stack that with the NCL one, netting me another $250in free cash. :) If you want the Blue Cash Plus card, you get $200 statement credit , but with a $95/yr annual fee - vs no fee with the standard card.

To use it on multiple cards they cards cannot be linked under one sign on. They have to each have there own sign to be claimed on multiple cards.

Interesting... I've got cards for my wife & kids, and each of them has their own login. I'll have them check tonight.

Mine is spend 500 and get 10,000 points , like the points better then the 10 bucks

It's $100 credit , not $10.

I've got (4) different types of Amex cards: Amex Platinum, Hilton Ascend (x 2), Spg Business (x 2) and Delta Gold.

The NCL offer was only on my Amex Platinum card.