PaperSniper4

11 hours ago, HoosierShipmate said:

A lot of discussion on the whale lot - as of last week, we parked in the whale lot, which was being run by Hilton employees. They do have new fencing up, we’re charging $150 for the week as a flat fee.  It’s not covered parking like the garages, but I felt very safe leaving my car there.  It may not be ‘official’ by the port, but it’s a real parking option, very easy to access and you can park, take your luggage a very short walk over to the handlers and you’re done.  It has easy access to both the ship and the Riverwalk shops.  

I dunno, that link sounds like cruise passengers can no longer use the Whale Lot. Of course, there has been misinformation on the interest before......😉

 Doug

13 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

100 Poydras Garage is much more secure than the Whale Lot.  Many reports of vehicles broken into and items stolen.   

Very true. However, $25-$26 is still very expensive for parking.

2 hours ago, ltmguy said:

This was the last Whale Lot Parking for NCL. Below is direct from the Port of New Orleans.

 

• PLEASE NOTE, THE HILTON “WHALE LOT” IS NO LONGER BEING UTILIZED BY THE PORT FOR CRUISE PASSENGERS.
  • Parking is available at the 100 Poydras Garage, located at 100 Poydras St. New Orleans, LA 70130. The 100 Poydras Garage opens at 9:00am (CST) and has over 500 covered and secured parking spaces.
  • Parking rates: $25 per day without reservations and $25 per day plus $1/per day fee for reservations.
  • Norwegian Cruise Line parking reservations can be made here. 
  • Please come directly to the 100 Poydras Garage, as a shuttle will be available to take all cruise passengers and their luggage to the Julia St. Cruise Terminal.
  • Please have your boarding information available. You must show it to the parking attendant to enter the facility. 
  • Maximum height is 6' 4" and maximum 22 feet in length. Garage is secured, lighted and patrolled.
  •  
•  

Is this official? Anyone have a source for this? Sounds odd that that large "Whale" parking lot would suddenly be closed....and $25 per day is nuts; higher than the last time we parked near the Los Angeles cruise terminal.

 Doug

21 hours ago, chewsifer1220 said:

 

...............

I did a mock booking on Celebrity and NCL a few months ago. I did a Concierge Cabin on Celeb and Club Balcony Suite on NCL with a Caribbean itinerary. All in all the Celebrity cruise was about $1K more for a shorter cruise.  Not an insignificant amount of money. If I had my druthers I would have stuck to X for the ambiance due to being "higher end" (apparently I am also a curmudgeon LOL) but I just can't justify the price anymore and have a NCL cruise booked for next year. I will be able to compare the 2 myself then. 

.....

 

When I compared the Celeb Concierge cabins to the MA cabins on NCL it was for size and amenities, not price.  Yeah, Celebrity generally costs more than NCL, but there are a lot of exceptions. Gotta watch those sales!😎 Yeah, the size of the balconies on NCL, at least on the ship's we've sailed (Spirit, Star, Dawn, Jewel, Breakaway) are tiny compared to Celebrity and others. It's a big deal for us for sure, but not enough for us to switch over to Carnival. We used to sail Carnival often (remember we sail from NOLA a lot), but Carnival's demographics just don't mesh with us anymore. Too loud, too busy, too rude in our experience. We like Carnival's ships just fine, and the cabins are some of the best out there. But every cruise line has things we like and don't like; thank goodness we still have a choice!

 Doug

On 12/24/2023 at 9:18 PM, DoubleEntry said:

Hi and thanks for reading this.  We're a couple of seniors in our 70's but active.  We have about 35 cruises under our belt and most of the on Celebrity.  None on NCL. 

 

We're tired of X and their nonsense over the last couple of years and are wanting to try something different.  We usually sail Concierge or better on X and our favorite spot is the cafe Al Bacio.  My question is kind of basic.  What do I need to know when booking NCL.  They offer free drinks, wi-fi etc., but no mention of tips.  Are there other little things you seasoned cruisers know about that might be of help?

 

Thanks, and look forward to your help.  Drinks on me. 🙂 

 

Jeff

We sail on Celebrity and NCL quite a bit. We are about your age. The nearest cabin type to the Celeb Concierge cabins is the "Club Balcony Suite" cabins on NCL, IMO and based on our experience on the NCL Breakaway for the last few years. Balconies in general on NCL are much, much smaller. However, the cabins are nice on both. The "perks" packages between Celeb and NCL are vastly different. Celeb's includes much more and has always included gratuities on those beverage, etc, packages. Often the price for NCL does NOT include the grats on the specialty meals  and beverage packages - and those can be very expensive. And of course NCL's daily "cabin etc" gratuities are the highest in the industry. Cabin service and similar items usually cost more on NCL also, although I suspect Celeb will also offer the "more for less" that all the cruise lines are offering now. It's hard for them not to do so when their ships are sailing near 100% capacity. Demographics are better on Celebrity IMO with less unruly young people and kids. But then I am an old curmudgeon!😁

Hope you enjoy NCL, I'm sure you will in spite of the differences between it and Celebrity. We sail NCL often because they sail from a port to which we can drive (NOLA). We would prefer Celebrity or Princess, but alas, only NCL and Carnival and RCI <fall only> sail from NOLA.

 Doug

19 hours ago, HoosierShipmate said:

.............

 

Everyone enjoy whatever holiday you celebrate and look for the recap later in the week!

 

J

 

 

Merry Christmas, and drive carefully on the way to Nashville. We're about 20 miles east of Memphis, so wave as you cross the AL/TN border. You have provided a bunch of people with invaluable information on the ship and itinerary!

 Doug

22 hours ago, HoosierShipmate said:

@Laurenran @wolft927 it’s up to $6.99 now it seems for bowling 

 

Wonder if NCL adds a 20% gratuity to that also?🤑 Not that NCL would ever be called the King of Nichol and Diming, ya'know.😉

1 hour ago, HoosierShipmate said:

........  I’m actually worried I have become a balcony person and when we book our next cruise it’s gonna hurt my pocketbook.

We've had 42 cruises....first two were inside...then 2 ocean views....all the rest have been balconies. It's impossible for my wife to go back to a lesser category. I, of course, yield to her wishes....I don't fight for a lesser category anymore!😉

 Doug

11 hours ago, HoosierShipmate said:

I agree with both of you on this topic.  I know they need somebody to coordinate the activities but a ‘big personality’ isn’t really important to me - like an emcee every night.  

Pet peeve of mine....I read the daily planner that was delivered to our cabin each evening, taking notes or highlighting events that interest me. So I know what's available the next day....then around breakfast time the CD proceeds to yak yak yak saying EXACTLY what was printed! I know I am a curmudgeon, but why? I dread the day we can no longer get that info in printed form the night before, and have to rely instead on our phone app or the yak yak from the CD! Can you tell I am an old fogey?😁

 Doug

8 hours ago, mexicobob said:

Did your Club Balcony come with robes and a coffee maker? If not, could you ask for them?
We look forward to our cruise on The Breakaway in February.

 

Really enjoying your review. Good words and pictures. Maybe you should start a blog and do this for a living. I will follow.

I'm enjoying his posts also, very informative. I think he ought to ignore his unappreciative wife's rolling of the eyes!😉

You asked about coffee in the cabin, which is important to us also. Nothing quite like sipping good coffee on the balcony watching the ocean roll by.

Here's something I clipped from another thread on CC somewhere concerning coffee on the Breakaway. I might be a year old:

==> COFFEE: We can ask the steward to bring us a Hamilton Beach coffee maker. “I think the coffee from the Hamilton Beach machines is pretty good. I generally bring some extra pods with me to avoid having to ask for extra pods every day - from Amazon etc. "Senseo coffee pods".

I have not decided if it's worth the hassle of asking for the coffee maker and perhaps getting some of those extra pods to bring with us. Coffee in the morning is super important for us, so we mainly use cabin service if available early (as in 0600), or I'll hike up to the lido deck with our insulated cups, or to the coffee bar is our cruise includes specialty coffees....we don't have that on this cruise; we have the "cheap seats" standard beverage package. Plus the $6 NCL charges for just coffee on their ships irritates me a bit.....I am so cheap I might always hike up to the lido for coffee every morning.....I wear cargo pants and carry insulated cups with lids...the croissants will fit into my cargo pants.....I've done it before!😎

 Doug

1 hour ago, HoosierShipmate said:

The captain really needs to speak up during his announcements. He’s so soft spoken. CD is loud and easy to hear. 

I may be in the minority, but in my opinion, I could sail quite happily without a cruise director on board. I do feel the need for a ship's captain, and of course, for the hotel director who is always the guy that makes or breaks a cruise. 😎

 Doug

8 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

The Free at Sea Ultimate Beverage Package (or whatever it's called today) - otherwise known as the standard beverage package - does not cover specialty coffee. You have to upgrade to Premium Plus for that.

 

NCL charges a flat rate of $4.95 (I believe) for breakfast to be delivered to your room, even just croissants and coffee.

Thanks. I think when we last sailed rolls n coffee was still without charge.

Roger that on the coffee, I remember now.

 Doug

Deleted

2 minutes ago, HoosierShipmate said:

We arrived around 6:30. Actual wait time was probably 20-25 minutes. 

Thanks, must have been for dinner I assume. So we will plan on eating dinner earlier. Better earlier than later for our old digestive systems. 😳

 Doug

13 hours ago, HoosierShipmate said:

30 minute wait for Taste or Savor so will use that time to recap O’Sheehans for lunch.  Same wait there maybe they just always say that timeframe?! 

 

This 30 minutes was for lunch or dinner? What time? We generally eat around 1730-1830 (aka 530pm-630pm). Hopefully the long wait times are later than that.

 Doug

17 hours ago, HoosierShipmate said:

The OBC is a fantastic deal - during pandemic both NCL and CCL were dirt cheap and cashing in on the credit makes 100 shares a bargain if you cruise a bunch.  

Yeah, yeah. Dirt cheap then....but what about ME? I bought CCL at $65 long before the plague came.😩 I'd have to cruise until I'm 112 years old to recoup that money!

That experience soured me on cruise line insurance, even though I know it's probably still a pretty good investment. I ought to get NCL's since we plan to mostly cruise from NOLA from here on. We don't sail on Carnival anymore, at least not any cruises from domestic ports.

 Doug

22 minutes ago, HoosierShipmate said:

.....

MDR’s - the food is the same but Manhattan Room just feels ‘classier’ - if not seated near the stage like last night that would be my pick.  But honestly it might come down to shortest wait time! If you want quiet I think Taste and Savor are safer bets.

Thanks, I'll note that for our cruise in March. We did like the Manhattan MDR, and we usually eat pretty early so it was not too crowded.

 Doug

34 minutes ago, ltmguy said:

Unfortunately no. This is actually a government thing that most people don’t know. Government parking like city’s and county’s and at airports n such offer free parking for the 50%disabled vet. But u must do your research because many parking attendants don’t know about it. 

Thanks, I was asking in jest anyway, but I did not know that, so thanks.

 Doug

1 hour ago, HoosierShipmate said:

We are now in Cozumel! We still haven’t decided if we will leave the ship or not, feels like a breakfast decision. If we do we won’t be ashore long.
............

 

 

 

You docked at Punta Langosta, yes? We like that area because it's near our favorite place to get a beverage and/or brunch, Las Palmeras. We have been to Coz so many times we're sometimes tempted to not disembark, but then we remember the fun and good food we've had at that restaurant, and off we go. (Warning: their margaritas are POTENT). We were recently in Cabo San Lucus on the west coast; what a different vibe from Cozumel. Neither bad, just very different.

Also, you have visited at least two of the MDR's so far. I'm wondering which you prefer and why? On our last Breakaway cruise we use the Manhattan for all meals other than the "Specialty Dining" at Cagney's and  Le Bistro. We enjoyed the Manhattan, and  just never got around to trying the others. Keep in mind we are two oldsters and like peace and quiet and decorum over excitement! I don't recall the loud music in Manhattan you mentioned, I suppose we were never seated too close to the band.

 Doug

6 hours ago, ltmguy said:

For those that are veterans and 50% disabled it is free with the appropriate paperwork 

I'm the former, but fortunately not the latter. I wonder if I can get a 25% discount?

27 years USN.

 Doug

I believe NCL will collect a tax on beverages until you are out of Lousiana waters. That is applied with or without the NCL beverage package. So basically the first night; at least for us, we hit the sack before leaving the Mississippi river. 😉Seems on our last NOLA cruise that was around $2 or so per drink? Can someone confirm; I am curious.

Doug

11 minutes ago, HoosierShipmate said:

Parking in the whale lot was simple. No line, and @PaperSniper4 the charge was $150 for the week.  ..

 

Ah, inflation, inflation. Sure glad I got that HUGE SS increase since inflation is so low right now.....😉

 Doug

HoosierShipmate, thanks for the reply regarding the Whale Lot.

 Doug

I'm assuming non-refundable OBC still cannot be used to pay the gratuities? So sad.......😪

On 12/9/2023 at 1:50 PM, HoosierShipmate said:

A week from today we’ll be in the car headed south, and will stop in Slidell to stay at our usual hotel (Hampton Inn Slidell) which is a short drive to the port.......

 

I had a request for the dailies which I’ll happily provide.......

 

We often cruise out of NOLA also and drive down from near Memphis. In our younger days we'd drive the 420 miles in one go, leaving home around 0500 to be sure to get on the ship with a little buffer time. However, now we're older we plan next March to drive to a Hammond, LA motel the day before, then do the 90 minute drive to the Breakaway the following morning.  Coming home we will just drive straight back.

We have not sailed out of NOLA since October 2019 <also on the Breakaway>, so we're curious about the changes at the cruise port, especially the Whale Parking lot. I recall we paid about $20 a day last time to park there. There have been reports of vandalism; I hope those are overblown.

I'm curious as to lunch that first day on the ship. We're in a Club Balcony Suite (category MA) cabin if that makes a difference. Those are not real suites BTW for those who are new to NCL. We always avoid the lido deck for most meals, and especially for that first day craziness. Sometimes one of the MDRs has a lunch available. Would you please check if something like that on your cruise? I think last time we went to O'Sheehan's on deck 7. But it was pretty crowded also.

Yes, please post the dailies when you can. We're interested in all that's going on, although we probably will not attend many shows, etc. Our last two cruise this year resulted in both of us getting Covid on one, and Norovirus on the other. This in spite of exceptional efforts like hand washing, masks, Purell, bleach towelettes, gloves, etc. I guess our immune systems aren't what they used to be!😪 If we have health issues on our March 2024 cruise we will probably discontinue cruising. That would be very sad.

Enjoy your cruise!😀

 Doug