CruiserDan53

On 1/14/2020 at 4:24 PM, mking8288 said:

Hmmm, being "very strict" about hand wash routines before being allowed into the buffet is - sometimes - an early indication of very, very, very minor cases or incidents of suspected stomach viruses onboard.  Be careful - we tried our best to avoid and eat in the MDR or OSH/Locals ... they aren't using disposable paper menus yet or hiding the salt/pepper shakers, napkins/eatery.  Arzeena & RJ among experts on how similar incidents were dealt with, on past sailings with the other ship.  

 

To put GI viruses in perspectives, NYC-DOHMH just released a HAN alert for healthcare pro's that it is trending higher, 353 cases reported last month - in congregate settings (i.e. child care, schools & assisted living facilities) and is not "exclusive" to cruise ships.  Don't worry & be happy ... washy, washy and follow best practices.  

 

Finding a good cellular signal on the pier from the ship, last time we're there - had to move around because the other ship docked at 90 degree angle at the next berth over deflected & nearly block the signals ... had to sit on/near the balcony for a good connection. 

 

Tomorrow is Cozumel - cellular signals from Mexico providers are even better.  If your cellular plan coverage is included with extra roaming charges, you can take full advantage of it ... stay usable for a while even after we sailed & left the pier.  

 

Enjoy !  

For NCL someone washing peoples hands at the buffet is standard on all ships. They do a very good job keeping people and the ship clean. It would be overexaggerating to imply that the Washy Washy person is there because there is an outbreak or something like that. 99% of the time its normal.

With the waiver they definitely can. @Broons77

20 minutes ago, tef43 said:

 

Change the resv to 10.

8 is usually the maximum

35 minutes ago, SSMcruises said:

We are a group of 9.  I booked tables of 8 and hope they will squeeze one in.  Fingers crossed ! 

We were also a group of 9. We booked 8 and we just told the restaurant when we got there. For specialty restaurants it helped to go to the restaurant right when they opened to make the change in person but it was never a big deal.

3 hours ago, dshefter said:

You can't book the main dining rooms anymore prior to the cruise.

I could be wrong but I'm almost positive you can. We were able to book them for our cruise last month.

17 minutes ago, Broons77 said:

 

Thanks for the info!  Did your son have to show the waiver when he ordered, or was his card flagged in some way that he was able to purchase?

They printed "PC" on his card which meant Parental Consent. Be careful because the cash registers are very smart and the bartenders know to watch to make sure you aren't giving any "minors" (below 21) mixed drinks. It wasn't always an issue but we did find ourselves being watched at certain bars.

4 hours ago, smplybcause said:

 

Every thread/post I've seen about this has said that if you don't have a parent on the boat you won't get the waiver. 

Based on the process I went through with an 18 year old, you will probably have a hard time if the parent isn't there. They simply asked for each of our photo IDs and photo copied them and we signed the waiver. They will likely not accept anything except for a parent and child's photo IDs.

5 hours ago, Broons77 said:

I'm going to call NCL about this today and will post the info I'm provided. These are all good questions and I'd like to try to have an understanding of what is and is not allowed.

 

I was hoping a signed and notarized letter from the friends parents would be accepted for the waiver as they accept similar documents for international travel. I get that immigration and drinking are different situations but I would think they'd be more stringent with immigration documents and would therefore accept a letter.

 

As far as the package goes, I'd tend to think that while they allow the kids a few drinks, an essentially open bar might be a bit much. I'm OK with the girls having a good time, but I'd like to know how much of a good time they're having too.

 

Anyway, stay tuned... 

 

@hftmrock

@esm54687

@scifimonkey

I was just on the EPIC with an 18 year old. He had to purchase any beer he wanted to consume which meant more profit for NCL. I could give him beer from my unlimited package but the ship technically had the right to take it away because he didn't buy it. The only unlimited beverage package anyone under 21 could have is Soda.

14 hours ago, jfio1021 said:

This is my first ever cruise, so excuse me if this is not the right spot to post but the Norwegian encore is getting slammed in the review section with a 2.5/5, which is making me really nervous for my upcoming trip this summer. People who have cruised it, do you really thing its as bad as these people are describing or is this a normal occurrence with brand new cruise ships, where kinks need to be worked out and it generally improves in a couple months. 

I've been on ten NCL cruises and never had a major problem with anything. There are likely 4000-5000 people on each sailing and ten come back and write negative reviews. They want to vent and likely overexaggerate any issues they had. Keep in mind the latest reviews are from the holiday season when they pack loads of people onto the ship and it probably overwhelmed the staff on a brand new ship. By the summer, most kinks would be worked out and you shouldn't have a problem. As a word of advice, book all of your reservations for specialty dining and main dining rooms as soon as you are allowed to online. That way you can eat when you want, stand in minimal lines and not worry about eating really late because that was all you could book on the ship. If you have multiple cabins, book a different restaurant in each cabin and then you'll have options each night.

15 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

If you are in one of the 80 Haven rooms and not one of the 2000 steerage rooms. 

Kind of a hidden secret but you are able to call the concierge if you are platinum latitudes. A very helpful perk. 

On 1/1/2020 at 1:09 AM, Love my butler said:

If you haven't seen a bad comedian on a cruise ship, you haven't cruised much.  We have encountered so many poor/bad comedians it isn't funny.  No pun intended.

I was also on this cruise and I would agree with much of this review. As far as comedians go, we did not enjoy the comedians on this cruise. The guy who opened, who was one of the two “headliners” wasn’t that good and the main guy that night spent 45 minutes making sex jokes. We didn’t go to any other comedy shows. 

3 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

You will also have to ensure that you can sign the alcohol waiver to allow her to drink beer and wine on the ship. 

 

What is the minimum age for purchase and/or consumption of alcoholic beverages?

Passengers must be 21 years of age or older to purchase or consume alcohol.

With the exception of Alaska and Hawaii itineraries, Norwegian permits young adults to purchase and personally consume wine and beer only while onboard and with the consent of an accompanying parent. Authorization will be given only when the accompanying parent completes the Young Adult Alcoholic Beverage Waiver form. This form can be obtained and completed at the Guest Services Desk upon embarkation of the vessel. However, passengers 18 years of age or older are permitted to consume beer and wine when sailing on round-trip European and Australian voyages without having to complete the Young Adult Alcoholic Beverage Waiver form.

 

Gambling age is 18. The catch with the Alcohol waiver is that the 18 year old still has the soda package if that was chosen. They have to purchase any beer or wine they want to consume. Their package doesn’t change to include alcohol until the passenger is 21. 

We were on the Christmas cruise last month and got the letter too. Our cab dropped us at 11 at the entrance to the port and we walked about half a mile (ten minutes) to the ship. The only wait we had was completing each of the steps (bag drop, security, check in) and we were on board by 12. Its either go early or wait in lines. It is true that there are no seats in the terminal. 

On 1/8/2020 at 4:46 PM, Langham1865 said:

Anyone fresh off the Epic with an update of the officers?

Captain Marco.

General Manager (formerly hotel director) Nelson.
Cruise directors name is slipping my mind but to be honest he wasn’t great. Didn’t see him once. 

We just got off the EPIC a few weeks ago. It was a great time. Embarkation couldn’t have been easier, just be ready for some traffic. Food was great and entertainment was also good. Very similar to our previous NCL cruises so that’s where you should base your expectations. I will say it was crowded at time but service was never poor. Also, book reservations as soon as you can online and you will never have a problem. 

Wife and I booked for Next year but have never cruised NCL before. What are some of the best and worst things about the getaway? What are some things we have to try and what do we need to avoid?

 

 

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Just got off last week. The specialty restaurants were great. We didn’t care for moderno (the Brazilian steakhouse) and saw it as a waste after the fact. Cagneys and Teppaniaki were both great and shouldn’t be missed. O’sheehans was also good especially for snack food. The main dining room service was slower but the food was alright. If your into thrill rides do the water slides. They are awesome. Never needed a reservation for the comedy show as the standby line always got in. The casino is very smoky and the smoke smell will tend to spread through the 6-7-8 ocean place atrium. We never saw the theater shows but heard great things about both. AVOID paying for the iConcierge app as it didn’t work and was unnecessary. Overall a great ship. You will have lots of fun.

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Here is the story

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2018/01/05/cruise-through-storm/

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Just got off the Getaway. DO NOT pay for the calling and texting. The app was not compatible with iOS 11 and every time we opened the app while onboard it said to relaunch onboard and most of the time it didn’t work when we did that. When it loads you can still use all of the features to see what’s going on, make reservations, etc. without paying. I have heard FireChat works well as an alternative.

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