bobbylutens

We are sailing on the pearl next month. I have the concierge email about coffee, tea, pillows etc. We have the unlimited beverage plan. Are we able to request beer/wine, water and chocolate milk for the fridge?

Our sons have severe peanut/tree nut allergies. Who do we talk to about their meals? We sailed Disney before and they were very accommodating. Is NCL good about this?

Suite guests have a separate VIP check-in area. You do not have an assigned time to be at the port. Be sure to ask the people at the port who are directing you to the lines where the suites check-in is. Once you check in they will then have you go to the suites waiting area where you meet the concierge or his assistant and a butler, not necessarily yours, who will escort you on board the ship. They will take you to the suites restaurant for lunch if you are in time for lunch.

 

There is a private suites restaurant, usually Moderno, for breakfasts and lunches. You will have a letter in your cabin outlining the times and places for those meals; sometimes the times can change depending on whether it is a sea day or port day.

 

You do not need reservations for the main dining room, but you may make them on board. The concierge is your friend for making reservations. If you know ahead of time when you want to dine in the specialty restaurants you might want to send that information to the pre-concierge about 2-3 weeks before your cruise (do a search for pre-concierge).

 

Be aware that the Daily Service Charge (DSC) for suites is $15.50/person per day, not the $13.50 for the other cabins. Also, the concierge and butlers are not included in that DSC, so plan to give them tips. (You can read the thousands of threads on tipping to determine what you think is appropriate.) The steward cleans the cabin, the butler handles in-cabin dining, coffee maker supplies, afternoon snacks and cabin maintenance issues, and the concierge handles outside the cabin issues like reservations for restaurants, spa, and excursions, embarking or disembarking, seats for shows, etc. They usually all work together though and if one doesn't handle it they will communicate to the correct person or tell you who to contact.

 

Have a wonderful time and just know once you have tasted the suite life it is hard to go back. ;)

Thank you so much!! Do we need to pre-reserve the shows and is there an additional charge for them?

You will board when there is a group enough to board, otherwise you'll be waiting in a private area of the terminal with beverages and snacks available to you. A butler or concierge will escort the group on the ship.

 

As far as I know you will get breakfast and lunch in a private restaurant, for dinner you eat at any restaurant. No, you do not need reservations for the MDR. As a suite guest you get can start making specialty reservations at 100 days prior to sailing, whereas the general population has to wait until 90 days out. If Teppanakyi is on your list (asian hibachi dining) seats are very limited so that is imperitave to book early.

Oh no! we are 90 days out....we didn't make a reservation there yet!!!

We finally chose a cruise and today upgraded to a 2 bedroom family suite:) I have been reading a little about what comes with suites. I've never sailed NCL before and am wondering how a few things work. Do all suite guests board at a particular time? I saw there is a private restaurant, is that for all meals? Also, do suite guests get priority reservations at specialty restaurants? And if we want to eat in the main dining room, do we need reservations for that?

Anything else we should know about suite perks? Thanks!!!

We are docking at the outer mole in Key West. I have a few questions:

1. Do the shuttles run regularly?

2. Where do they drop you off?

thanks.

The only other stop is Ocho Rios. So, I guess we'll just stay on and drive down when we disembark!! Thanks everyone, I really appreciate it:)

Thanks everyone!!

We're looking at a cruise where Key West is the last stop before docking in Miami the next day. Can you get off the ship in Key West and choose not to re-board if you have all of your belongings with you? We would like to stay in Key West for a few nights and it would save us the drive back down.

I see people mentioning it...I'm a NCL newbie. What is it?

thanks everyone!

we were an ocean view guarantee, but I just got a call from NCL and a mini suite opened up. We switched to that, but really are just looking for a balcony if one opens. It's less expensive and not much different in our opinion. The mini suite is $2000 more than the ocean view was. It's a lot to think about.

The cruise I'm interested in is completely out of balcony and mini suite cabins. I reserved an ocean view, but it's on guarantee at this point. What are my chances of having a balcony or mini suite open up in the next few weeks? NCL said after final payments are due, some people don't pay the balance and they could open up. Although we love the cruise, I don't know that we want an ocean view for the 4 of us. I've tried travel agents thinking maybe they have an allotment but it seems none do. Just wondering if the possibility is good or will we most likely be stuck in an ocean view?

Oh, I found suite service above that of standard DCL service.

When you say suite service, do you mean the Haven? Or just the suite categories on some of the ships? The Haven looks great and is comparably priced to a verandah on Disney. But I don't want to pay for a verandah on Disney, that's why I'm looking at NCL lol!

I feel your pain! We are jumping ship for the first time this March and we are scared we won't like it as much. But the motto of our trip is "there's a drink for that"! Our kids are teenagers so the more thrilling waterslides and ropes course appeal. Also an Eastern priced out about double on DCL. I am not expecting the same as DCL and I am warning my family to try and not compare - when all else fails - There's a drink for that! I guess I can't really give much advice since we haven't sailed NCL yet but I seem to have read a few reviews with comparisons (I only read Escape reviews' date=' since that's the ship we are booked on). Good luck![/quote']

 

LOVE THE MOTTO!!! Now I feel like I can book it and enjoy

My family and I (2 adt/2 chd 9 & 7) are looking at trying Norwegian. We have found some great deals on both the Getaway Western itinerary and Escape Eastern itinerary. The kids have only ever been on a Disney Cruise and we all loved it. We're a little nervous to deviate from what we know we like. The Disney ship was clean, didn't feel overcrowded, never had to wait for meals and the staff was so attentive. Do you think we'll be disappointed trying NCL? I'm sure both ships are great for kids. Which would you recommend based on ship/itinerary. Thanks!