mjkacmom

4 hours ago, DebJ14 said:

There are some items that are naturally gluten free, so you need to stick to those.  If newly diagnosed then you may not be aware.  Fresh eggs, plain meats (no gravy or sauces), steamed veggies, baked potato, salad (but always be firm about a GF dressing and no croutons) fresh fruit are all naturally gluten free.  I was diagnosed 17 years ago.  Many cruises since and I have been glutened twice on Royal, both times in the MDR and both on first nights.  However, I had my most positive experiences in the main dining room with waiters and head waiters that went out of their way to insure a good GF meal.  Because GF dinners in the MDR are ordered the night before, room service in a suite is probably not an option for dinner.  

 

You didn't say which ship.  Those with Coastal Kitchen may fare better.  On the older ships where suite guests have breakfast in one of the specialty restaurants, we have  fared OK.  We try to make a connection with the waiter the first day, explain our dietary needs and then try  to stick with that waiter for every breakfast, and if having dinner there, requested that person as our waiter so we did not have to go through the whole song and dance all over again.  Worked great on the AOS, but not on the VY.

 

Ships vary and so does their ability to handle gluten free.  Since Covid we had a horrible experience on the Adventure, except for our waitress at breakfast and one dinner in Giovanni's Table. The Windjammer had zero entrees or vegetables marked GF on the Adventure and, only a couple of desserts. 

 

 On the Voyager, the Main Dining room was great, but our dinner at Giovanni's Table was a disaster.  Breakfast at Chops was just ok.  We had multiple waiters in Chops at breakfast and they never remembered from day to day that we were gluten free and were always pushing the pastries.  For lunch in the Windjammer we stuck with salad every day.

 

We do get room service breakfast on the days we have an early excursion.  That has always been fine.  I always get bacon and eggs and coffee.  Hubby usually orders the GF toast.  I am allergic to yeast, so bread, even GF, is out for me.  I never order the scramble eggs from room service in case they give me the powdered eggs, which are often not GF.

 

We always go with scheduled dining in the MDR.  Our last cruise on the Voyager, our waiters had 3 tables of GF and went out of their way.  You need to notify special needs ahead of time so that the ship is notified.  They need to know how many GF people to expect, otherwise that have been known to run out of GF bread and pasta when they are suprised with larger than usual numbers.  special_needs@rccl.com is where you need to send the notification.  They always respond, first with an automated email and then a full explanation of how it is handled.

 

On embarkation day we check with our Maitre"D to make sure it is noted.  The head waiter usually comes over that first dinner for introductions and make sure to remind the waiters.  Also check with the head waiter and chefs in Windjammer and they will give you a tour of the GF options or they will make something separately in the back for you.

 

In the beginning it is really hard to have to be forceful and make your needs known.  Also, the longer you are off gluten the worse the symptoms of being glutened get.  She will have to take responsibility for herself.  My doctor always says, "When in doubt, do without."  

 

Also, research GF alcoholic beverages before you go so you can request a specific Vodka.  Rum and Tequila is always GF.

The vast majority of hard liquor is gf, even whisky. The distillation process removes the gluten.

 We loved our day pass at RIU, we’ve also done Atlantis a couple of times. The pig thing is weird to me, trying to mimic exuma by bringing farm pigs to a beach.

On 4/28/2024 at 10:44 AM, trevorcruise said:

Norwegian's Express Beach Break to Goodman's (sounds very similar to this one) was the single worst excursion I've been on in my 11 cruises. We paid the $69x4 to NCL to be safe with everything going on in the Bahamas.  Two quick soundbites. First, The pre-promised chairs were unavailable when we arrived.  We stood around for 45min with the group waiting for them and finally gave up and used our towels. Second, The tour operator asked me to fill out a survey in return for getting on an earlier bus back to the ship.

The worst part was that the NCL Excursion desk said they were not responsible for the excursion and would not take any accountability. The rest of the cruise was pretty good, but this excursion mess was enough for us to go back to Disney and Royal Caribbean, where we've done most of our cruising.

It’s so easy to do DYI excursions at that port, goodman’s bay is just a local public beach, just take a cab. I’ve sailed on NCL, never saw it listed as an excursion. It would be like booking a private tour to Junkanoo.

Lots of college family weekends in October (my daughter is at BU, family weekend is the same as Head of the Charles, so we don’t go). Just stayed at the Hotel Newbury, very nice, great location but $$$$$.

On 4/28/2024 at 10:10 AM, Ruttrowg said:

Wow did not know about the missing people. Makes sense they dropped the stop,  but they should have done more than a $100 credit don't you think? Lots of good points on that thread above.

Are you new to cruising? They can drop each port for no reason whatsoever and offer nothing. Changing itineraries is pretty common in cruising.

Maybe choose another excursion? They will be legal adults and can legally order alcohol, I don’t think you saying they are only 27 will prevent anything, I’m guessing they will all be ID’d. My two oldest were 19 and 20 on our last cruise, they loved the AI we went to, and would go to bars in port. 

7 hours ago, Coralc said:

It was Comfort Suites, but I don't think that is what they are looking for. 

 

I would just take a cab over, walk around in the allowed areas, gamble a little, and take a cab back. I do not recommend the water taxis. 

There are very few allowed areas besides the casino and marina village. We’ve done Atlantis through CS and through a cruise excursion, prefer to do it on our own. It’s a 15 minute drive, when we did it through the ship we just took a cab back anyway. The excursion (through the ship, CS, or bought directly from Atlantis) includes the water park, beach and Digs access. I think it’s around $200 pp through Atlantis or resort for a day. I don’t think it’s worth it with small children.

2 hours ago, Beachcreature said:

I am generally defensive of NCL and have enjoyed all of our 9 cruises with them.  One department, however, that needs improving is the whole drink package process.  You pre pay tips which is usually a plus for staff but when you order drinks, if you have the drink package with the prepaid tips you shouldn't have to tip again.  Once a server realizes that you are not tipping it seems that they prioritize other passengers that are tipping.  I don't have a solution but NCL needs to look into this or lose some loyal passengers.

As someone who tips for every drink, I’m fine with the situation.

3 minutes ago, marrashadow said:

We experienced a long wait on HAL for embarkation and often these times are based on activity at port. And how organized passengers are with the paperwork needed to board. I watch 6 people stop at counter then began digging through luggage. We had ours in hand and we got the sweetest smile from the woman checking us in. You are waiting at least 20 minutes and even with the signs everywhere you can't get your items ready beforehand? Lines are mostly cruisers fault. Debarking is different as often that is border agent staffing which cruise lines do not control. That being said on any ship, rooms won't be ready until at least 1pm so if you want to be able to access your room once you board opt for times late in afternoon.

 

Bartenders will tend to go towards those who are nice to them or tip them. Take a few minutes when they aren't busy to chat and possibly provide a small tip and you will find your service expedited as a general principal you will find that with most cruise staff kindness counts.

 

 

We’ve been held up at embarking due to a shortage of border agents which held up disembarking.

7 minutes ago, asctony said:

This happens on almost all cruise lines today. Staff have been cut back. People disregard times, too.

Happy Cruising on any Cruise Line!

And the vast majority of cruisers never heard of CC so it’s not like they know check in times aren’t enforced.

I got a lot of recommendations for this boutique hotel from BU parents, and it’s less expensive than many (like under $500 a night) https://www.newburyguesthouse.com. Great location and staff.

Friday at rush hour, the absolute worst rush hour of the week. You will be sitting in traffic for hours. Car rental, tolls, gas - an Uber from jfk would be faster and cheaper. My 5 young adult kids Uber to and from airports here very often by themselves. On occasions when we pick them up, we never park, just pick up at the curb.

16 hours ago, MajSteve said:

Goodbye NCL Rant Three

Things That Went Absolutely Wrong:

The Weather: OK, I am well aware that NCL has no control over the weather.

(I thought the cruisers in the Haven Class did that sort of thing.)

The outdoor areas were closed for 6 out of the 9 Sea Days. Oh, you could sit out there if you enjoyed rain, hail, and 50 mph winds. 

The port stop at Gibraltar was cancelled due to some mysterious engine trouble.

The embarkation at Port Canaveral was a nightmare. 2 hours and 15 minutes in a line, outside just waiting to get into the terminal. Three hours to actually set a foot on the ship and then another hour and a half before the cabins were ready. Pictures attached. No excuse for this NCL; Not even water stations available during the wait. Our supposed "embarkation times" assigned meant nothing.

The gift shop did not contain one item related to our cruise. Only Caribbean items. Who wants to go on a TA cruise and purchase a Virgin Islands T-shirt? Think I am getting snarky? Just wait!

 

To be fair, your issue is with the port, ncl doesn’t own it or staff it. No one is given an embark time, just a check in time. Boarding starts when the ship is disembarked, sometimes things go wrong.

It’s almost always cheaper to break larger parties into smaller groups and take a ride share or cab.

12 hours ago, splash_in_the_water said:

seems to me like if they jacked up prices a little bit that would be something but as much as 2x? I know it's a captive audience, blah blah but they'd probably move a bit more product if prices were closer to what they are on land. I know they gotta make money where they can, but I guess you gotta wonder if the point of the shops is to provide cruisers with a fun shopping experience  or make the most money possible? Yes. But there's a point where there's not a good roi. I think i remember learning this on those graphs in 7th grade, given the right equation.

 

but, like other things it must be working or they wouldn't do what they're doing. Like anything else, speak with your wallet.   Same like Disney world, etc.

I think the shops are run by third party vendors, and yes, the purpose is to make as much of a profit as possible. On land I don’t shop at hotel gift shops looking for bargains.

18 minutes ago, erisajd said:

Maybe if you understood what her promises were as part of the deal to get the business - you might understand why I say that.  

 

So - I'll be painfully direct:  "We [the agency] SHALL [emphasis mine] make regular efforts to determine if there are any specials, deals or limited time offers concerning your travel booked with us that can save you money.  This is at no cost as part of our service."

 

 

I just don’t know why a travel agent would go out of there way to check for discounts that would lower their commission. 

18 minutes ago, dvan68 said:

Another vote for staying in Secaucus/Harmon Cove area.  There is a Residence Inn, a Courtyard and an Aloft to choose from in that area.  Restaurants are in walking distance and it is an office park, so separate from the actual city of Secaucus.  Unless you are familiar with the area, I would not stay in Jersey City - I just did not feel safe, and I grew up in NJ.  

I think the waterfront area is very safe and a popular place in NJ (my mom and her entire extended family lived out their lives in Jersey city, but it has definitely changed for the better).

7 minutes ago, Laszlo said:

Yup, bring edibles 

You can get lozenges sealed in plastic and stored in a tight container.

1 hour ago, Coral said:

I can't say that is the rule. It depends on the insurance and the individual person.

 

There are definitely reasons to buy insurance early.

Especially to cover preexisting conditions.

No matter how I book, I don’t expect a travel agent to continually check for new promos or price drops after I book, their job is done.

Can’t switch out packages, the gratuity on FAS is about $21 a day, so if you drink more than 2 drinks a day on average, it’s worth it. If the price goes down before Vinson payment, you can rebook with the current offer. You can tip in USD, I believe that’s the only thing you need cash for onboard.

13 hours ago, jsglow said:

Wow, very surprised by this. I must admit that my info is 15 years old. 

13 hours ago, jsglow said:

Wow, very surprised by this. I must admit that my info is 15 years old. 

Me too, this is the first time I read about any line allowing a legal adult in the teen club, I wouldn’t count in it happening again!

9 minutes ago, CQG67 said:

Who do we use for transport from hotel near jfk to either Manhattan or Brooklyn port ( which one not yet determined) and the. At end of cruise port to jfk.  Uber (are they safe in neck) or private company.  Got a quote yesterday for $330 one way - ouch- private company. 

Answered you on another board but taxi.

If you’re not sure it’s probably Brooklyn, taxis from jfk only have set fares into manhattan, but Brooklyn should be about $60. No need to spend $300+!

At 15 my kids flew alone, I don’t think you need anything for the airlines. For the cruise make sure you have something signed for medical decisions.