Pitzel

It depends on what sort of OBC you have. If it is direct from NCL, it should show up in your account now (or soon). Same for shareholder OBC. OBC from your travel agent will show up whenever they “buy” it for you. We often see this sort of credit show up in our account 1-4 weeks before sailing. If you don’t see it in your account prior to boarding, you will probably see it once you board. Bring confirmations of any OBC you are entitled to just in case, though.

In the past, we have seen some of these offered as excursions/rentals. No guarantees that any of these will still be offered, though: - Swim with the pigs - Swim with stingrays - Jetski rentals - Stand up paddle board rentals - Snorkel equipment rentals - Floating mat rentals - Parasailing - Zip lines - Cabana / Villa rentals - Party boat cruise

Find the roll call for similar sailings before yours and ask them to post photos of the Freestyle Dailies. Unless you have a very unique itinerary, you should be able to pretty accurately determine what the theme nights will be and when. Most sailings will likely have some version of the "White Party" or "Glow Party" where people tend to dress up. I have also seen decades themes (70s, 80s), but rarely see many people dressed specifically for those themes. If you are sailing over a holiday, there might also be themed events for that holiday.

Here is the current price in USD *not including taxes and fees*. I have no idea why NCL shows a “total” when booking from some countries, but a “subtotal” when pricing from the US.

Out of curiosity, I went hunting to see what sort of amazing Haven offers I might be able to find. This one jumped out at me: NCL Prima Nov 11, 2023 9 Night, Rome to Barcelona HE Penthouse $4,871.12 USD total for 2 people, including dining/beverage FAS gratuities, taxes and fees. The TA site that I checked is also offering $500 OBC for the sailing (which can be used to cover the DSCs). Other Haven suites were also available for not much more (all <$800 pp more). Granted, flights might be pricy depending on where you are flying in from, but this is a great deal for someone who can get to Europe!

There are no longer entree price limits for the Latitudes meals. You may use them at any restaurant and will get one appetizer (or soup/salad), one entree and one dessert. You may order any entree, but will pay a surcharge for any upcharge items, like lobster. These will clearly be marked on the menu.

It is a very different ship, but it suited us well when we sailed Europe for 2 weeks in 2017. We thought that the crew was quite friendly when we went. We had a minisuite (now called a Club Balcony), which we liked because there is a curtain that that divides the bedroom area from the living room area. When our child would go to sleep, we could pull the curtain closed and be able to stay up a bit longer before we went lights-out. There is not a ton for kids on the ship, though, and unfortunately I don't remember much about the kids club. I believe my child went to the kids club from time to time, but he also spent a good deal of time with us and with his grandparents, who also sailed with us. The Breakaway and Breakaway+ class ships are much better suited for kids. We liked the Freestyle dining since we could eat when we were hungry and not have to worry about being back onboard for a specific dinner time.

I don't think you will experience a "party vibe" on this sailing. Longer sailings tend to attract older passengers without kids, in general.

That seems overly complicated. Why not just get your keycard at whatever check-in station you are required to go to and then make your way back to the forward Haven waiting area in the terminal (if there is more than one Haven waiting area) and then board from there with everyone else?

No. All of the forward ocean view rooms have the window at the side of the bed. The Family Oceanview rooms are larger, though, and usually have a larger bathroom as well. Edited to add: The videos that I posted above are Oceanview rooms on the Joy, not Family Oceanview rooms.

Daily service charges? Yes. Purchased OBC is considered "refundable" and can be used for DSCs. If you want to add an additional gratuity at a specialty restaurant, you can add that to your check at the end of the meal and it will come out of the OBC. If you want to tip anyone else (room steward, bartenders, main dining room servers, etc.), you will have to go to guest services and tell them the full name of the crew member that you would like to tip and the amount. Alternatively, you can ask to get the OBC refunded to you in cash and then use the cash to tip crew members.

In addition to all of the answers above around what to bring (or not bring), my two cents is on how to pack: Depending on the trip, we use packing cubes, travel vacuum storage bags, or both. If you roll your clothes tightly, you can get a ton in the packing cubes. Not only does this compress things in your luggage, it also makes it easy to unpack -- just unzip the cubes and set them on a shelf or in a drawer in your hotel room or stateroom. The vacuum storage bags are good for eliminating bulk, since you can suck (or squeeze) out all of the air and really compress things down. This doesn't cut down on weight, though, since you can often fit more stuff in the same suitcase that way!

And this video shows the view out the front:

Youtube video showing Joy 10100 (starting around the 1:20 mark):

The orange one in the middle is a Family Oceanview, which is larger than a standard oceanview. On other ships (like the Escape), these staterooms even have a separate secondary sleeping area with a curtain, a separate desk, an extra closet, and a second TV! All of these rooms overlook the front of the ship and have angled windows. The windows need to be closed at night so that light doesn't bother the bridge, which is a downside for being at the front. The upside is that there is usually a small window seat and additional storage under the window. Also, unlike other oceanview rooms, the bed is parallel to the window, rather than pushed up against the window at the head of the bed.

When my husband gets his photo taken at the check-in desk, they do ask him to remove his glasses. If you have gotten your photo taken with glasses on, it might have been a fluke.

Feel free to dress however you wish, but most passengers on NCL ships don't get particularly fancy, even on the formal nights. You may see sportcoats on men and cocktail dresses for the ladies, but rarely gowns, tuxes or the like.

Why do you think that Alaska is not feasible at their age?

I think our enjoyment of Shetland was that we actually rented a vehicle and were able to get out and explore things on our own. Had we stuck around the port area or taken an excursion or tour, we probably would have been underwhelmed as well. We loved being able to explore places that were truly off the beaten path and go places that were not necessarily designed for tourists. Our son was 6 at the time that we went and he LOVED being able to be up close with the animals on the farm, even getting to feed the sheep himself.

If you do this only occasionally, they will likely look the other way. If you do this consistently or try to order beverages for them while in a restaurant on your drink package, they would be well within their rights to cancel your drink packages completely and not offer a refund.

Any chance your sailing stops in Shetland? Our day in Orkney was good, but not nearly as memorable as our day in Shetland. We rented a car and spent the day driving around the island. We made our way to a local farm that I had come across on a social media site and we got to spend quite a bit of time there petting and feeding the Shetland Ponies, the sheep, and lots of native Shetland animals. One of the absolute highlights of our trip!

As a note, there are some pretty awesome public deck spaces on Prima that don't require Vibe access. There are some lovely padded loungers, lots of umbrellas and shade structures on the upper decks. Great for reading, if that is your thing. Also, tons of comfy padded loungers, seating, hammocks, etc. on deck 8 aft. Very rarely did we see these even close to full. I realize that seating isn't the only reason why people pick the Vibe, but the Prima has stepped up her public seating options.

Ironically, Away has a tote bag called the "Latitude Tote". I am surprised that NCL didn't pick that one!

You should be able to bring them onboard. You will not be allowed to take them back off with you, however.