complawyer

laudrgayle: same 2u!

laudergayle. just responding to the question. i still dont see any relevance to any one else as to how many days until someone's next cruise, unless they're on the same cruise, and want to meet and/or share a shore excursion outside of ncl. my response was also designed with a slight tongue in cheek smart a** answer, although the dates are correct. let me know if any of these dates correspond with any of your cruises. if so, the first drink is on me! LOL!

i dont mean to be the grumpy old man that i am, but why is this issue so important that the question in still going around? we have about 135 days until ncl dawn london to copenhagen, 145 days to back to back copenhagen to stockholm, and 375 days to ncl dawn capetown to barcelona. for the number of ships and departure dates ncl has available, what relevance is there as to how many days any specific, particular traveler has before they sail. or is it that inquiring minds want to know?

all-ready2cruise. you can certainly dress if you wish, but you will find that by and large you will be in the minority. ncl is really much more laid back

I disagree 100%. always best to just do it yourself. book the airfare yourself, go into the departing city/country a few days earlier, book the hotel by yourself, if you need a travel agent, just have them book the cruise , cabin and departure point you want

you can tell your waiter that you want cocktail sauce instead of the 1000 island dressing. i always ask for horse radish also, really spices up the shrimp.

i find it extremely comfortable. no worries, but then again,i can fall asleep anywhere

we're booked on the dawn leaving southampton on july 27th. there was a 10hr non stop flight leaving lax at 3:45 on the 26th arriving in lhr at 10.am. since the ship wasnt sailing until 5:00, and it's about an hour + to get to the pier in southampton, i figured no problem. always wanting to err on the side of caution, we decided to take the same flight but a day earlier. true, we need to book a hotel on the 26th, but it's worth the extra $$$ to avoid t he problems op faced.

hey mingo! what time of year did you take the cruise. i know chicago o'hare can be a real b***h in winter. bottom line... why take the chance?

BOOK THE FLIGHTS/HOTELS YOURSELF!!!! You'll stay sane that way, and you have more control over your travel plans.

it's probably of no help at this point, but i've posted this many times before. never, ever book air or hotel thru ncl. it's so much safer and oh so convenient to just book it yourself. with sites like booking.com or hotels. com you can view a tremendous number of hotels. if there is an airline you prefer , check out their web-site. we have sailed with ncl many times in the past 11 years, to the carribbean, and many ports in europe, and have never had any problems doing my own booking. last years we flew into london, spent a few days there and booked a shuttle bus to take us to southampton. we also booked 3 days in venice, hired a shuttle to take us to trieste, booked a hotel there and the next morning there was a bus to take us to the pier. all this is really easy peasy, just takes a little effort, but worth the peace of mind.

to this day, i believe that the switch was a disaster of biblical proportions. it's bad enough you cant get a pepsi at any of the attractions/properties at disney world resort. and now this. "THE HORROR" lol!

you can purchase separate cans of soda. they're about $3.00 per can. if youre in a suite, or haven, sometimes i have the butler bring me a fee cans for the fridge. as an aside, when ncl switched over from pepsi, i was devastated

going to the haven restaurant is even better than being escorted to cagney's. forgot that a few of ncl's fleet have a complete haven complex. when we book a suite or haven suite, it's usually with just the private pool area, and breakfast in moderno and lunch in cagney's either way, it's a much,much better sailing experience. and you may consider it nothing special, but it sure beats waiting around

i'm with bird travels on this one! any haven waiting area beats sitting in the regular waiting area with a few thousand of your closest friends. at most it's taken us 15-20 minutes to be escorted onto the ship and taken to cagney's for a nice leisurely lunch and drinks. there are always pastries ,finger sandwiches, coffee ,tea juices etc. additionally, the haven experience is an entire different animal!

so what is hal offering you that ncl isn't? we've been on 24 ncl cruises over the past 13 years. hardly ever hear "washy washy" any more. if this annoy's you, skip the buffet. we have never bothered to go to the park west auctions. if you did research, you'd see that is one of the biggest rip-offs imaginable, and most cruise sights specifically indicate to skip it. im sure that (1) there are other movies available other than top gun (2) there are certainly other option available on an ncl cruise other than staying holed up in your cabin watching movies. ive researched also, to the extent my wife and frequent traveling companion accuse me of being anal (an accusation with which i wholeheartedly concur) most ncl cabins i find are larger. check msc suites, some so called suited are the same size or smaller than ncl's club clubs suites, the itineraries (in general) are amazing, and the prices, are in line with other cruise lines. so be careful when you jump, i wouldnt want you to misstep and fall into the water by accident. let us know what you liked about hal when you get back. ive looked at celebrity offerings, rcl, msc, and i have determined that you still get the best "bang for your buck" with ncl. the opinions expressed herein are strictly my own

anywhere you turn in rome will be amazing. there is culture and history on almost every corner. we were at the marriott last nov, and we were able to arrange a shuttle to take us to all the important sights. you definitely need to go to the vatican(although the lines are outrageous) sistine chapel,almost anywhere. you really need a week or so to explore rome, and even that's probably not enough. im certain you will love it

just remember that the op was complaining/threatening "NEVER" to cruise ncl again if they didnt up the level of entertainment to his/her standards. i was being a little facetious when i suggested they attend plays on broadway, but again if the only reason they sails with norwegian is for the entertainment, they need to look elsewhere.

jana60. im sorry, but if your main criteria is the on board entertainment, save yourself a few $1000, get an inexpensive hotel in new york, and book a few broadway shows. my only criteria is getting on a cruise ship and sailing to different ports. i dont give a rats tushie about the entertainment. my last 2 cruises, i didnt even bother with the shows, i can forgive the food, as they are cooking for a variety of tastes for over 2000 people, and if you dont like the upcharge, dont order that item. my #1 choice is cagneys, the same steak in le bistro comes with a $10 upcharge, lobster is always more expensive, regardless of the restaurant (land or sea). cant you just enjoy being on the ship? by the way,(if im not mistaken) most of the major cruise lines have increased the dsc. fyi, we're sapphire, will be diamond after b2b july cruise, and have been on 24 ncl cruises since 2010. ive stated before, my only real complaint is the hamburger buns always fall apart before i'm finished with my burger/ my only advice( should you choose to accept it) is enjoy the cruise for what it is (a cruise)

set up for u.s. currency only

you left out an other choice. i hate o'sheehans, and only in a dire (and i mean extremely dire ) emergency will i even go there, plus im not a great fan of wingless chicken bones (oops!)

its billed to your account, so if you start handing out tips on the last sailing day, you;re effectively double tipping. if you're in a haven or a suite, you may want to tip the butler/concierge/ cabin steward, as i believe they are not included in the daily service charges. of course during your entire cruise, it doesnt hurt to tip a little here and there for anyone providing a little extra service, especially your bartender.

vacation44! while i agree in principal, why do you think it's ridiculous? it's all you can eat of assorted meats, and a humongous salad bar. unless something has changed, the end of of january when we were on the jewel, it's also one of the restaurants offered on the dining package. i think the quality has gone down in both the food and the service, you have the alternative not to spend your money and not eat there, for my money, cagney's is still numero UNO!

i have nothing personal against foie gras, just the way it's cultivated, and it's not something i want to eat. there was a dollop of it on my steak in le bistro, but i just left it on the plate. traveling man, you are 100% correct.. to each his own

if you're in a haven ,chances are on embarkation day, you will get priority boarding and be escorted directly to cagneys for lunch. at that time, it would be a great idea to introduce yourself to the maitre'd. (this is also where the proverbial "vegas handshake" will come in handy). after that he is usually most accomodating. we were on the ncl gem and had the same waiter whenever he was working, by the way, we have never had a problem getting a table for breakfast or lunch in the haven restaurants