Pitzel

It looks like they are getting rid of the Haven library, then. The dining areas in the H2s overlook the Horizon lounge. Not terribly private, but the view should be nice.

Yes, though you may need to specify what that means. Not everyone knows what "keto" entails. Want cheese and fruit? Nuts? a plate of bacon? You may not be able to get all of that as snacks, but you can certainly ask. We love getting a fruit, cracker and cheese tray for an afternoon snack. It is perfect to go with champagne or a glass of wine on the balcony.

The only issue that I can imagine is if the minors who are booked in the grandparents' staterooms would not be able to check in or get key cards without their grandparents present because they are booked in the same rooms. But, that could be avoided if the grandparents inquire when they are checking in on the best way to handle the situation: - It might not be an issue at all. In which case, yay! OR - It could be an issue, but they could see if it would be possible to board and then disembark and come back to the check in area later once the minors arrive in order to help check them in. OR - It could be an issue and they will not be able to board until the minors are present. So, the question becomes: How much earlier do you think that the grandparents will arrive vs. the rest of the family? Would it be a problem for them to wait in the terminal for the rest of the family to arrive or get to the port later, at the same time as everyone else?

On the Bliss, there is a much larger Splash Academy, Entourage, and arcade than on the Joy — all of which are on Bliss’s deck 5. There is a lot of crew space on Joy’s deck 5 that could be converted over in a similar fashion.

I am bummed about laser tag going away. Hopefully, there will be other additions for kids/teens that will help make up for it (maybe an expanded arcade or an improved Entourage?).

We did a similar cruise on the Jade in August 2017. Looking back at our photos: - In England, Scotland, and Norway, we wore fleece jackets, lightweight sweaters or sweatshirts, and lightweight rain jackets/windbreakers. Some of the stops, though, were warmer, though, so we also brought a couple of shorts/capris for during the day. - In Iceland, we wore slightly heavier jackets and we also brought hats, lightweight scarves/neck warmers, and gloves (since we were planning on seeing glaciers and going whale watching there). If you have a jacket with a zip-out insulated lining, that would be perfect. For dinners, I seem to recall bringing items that could be mixed and matched easily, like a pair of "dressy" black slacks or capris and a few different tops/blouses that could go with any of the pants. I don't think I brought any skirts or dresses for that trip. My DH brought polo shirts and maybe a button down shirt or two and wore them with jeans or khakis.

If you search this board, you should find several threads with LOTS of drink suggestions. Here are just a few:

Check out Blue Lagoon Island in Nassau. You have to book through the cruise line, unfortunately, but it makes for a great family beach day with little ones. Lots to do there -- lots of shallow areas for swimming, dolphins and other sea animals to see, hands-on tide pools and more. Plus lunch is included. When we went, it felt very clean and safe there.

On NCL, the Joy/Bliss/Encore are best suited for cold weather, though the Jewel class ships also have the Spinnaker Lounges, which are good places to hang out when it is cold out. For RCCL, the Quantum class ships are well suited for cold weather, as they have covered pools, a Solarium, and lots of indoor activities. The 270 space also offers great views during the day.

Not necessarily true. All of the OBC that we get from our travel agent is delivered as refundable OBC. Refundable credit can be used for anything onboard, including daily service charges. You can also opt to purchase a future cruise credit with it or take whatever amount you don't use back as cash (as long as you do so before the last night of the cruise). On our last 2 sailings, we have gotten back $400-500+ in cash from each sailing because we pre-paid our gratuities and had very few purchases on board.

If you are interested in the excursion, go ahead and Google the exact name of the excursion. Chances are you will be able to find out which tour operator typically offers the excursion and you can see if you can book directly with them or through a third party excursion broker, like Viator.

Generally 2, though it might depend on the restaurant.

Same! We dined at Cagney's on the Prima this past April and it was...meh. The filet was fine -- nothing special, but fine -- but the ribeye was fairly chewy and lacked flavor. I ended up getting 2-3 sauces for it, hoping that one of them would save it. We dined in the main dining room on our last night and ordered the NY strip there, though...and it was fabulous! We were stunned that the MDR steaks were considerably better than Cagney's, the service there was impeccable, and we ended up having an absolutely lovely dinner. On our Joy cruise next year, we will likely steer clear of Cagney's and spend our SPD credits elsewhere.

If you are sailing out of NYC in November, I think you will like the Prima better. While not nearly as large as those on the Joy/Bliss/Encore, the Prima does have an observation lounge, which offers a great views on cold or grey/wet days. The atrium area is also lighter and airier, which makes it a great place to hang out and watch the ocean go by.

Normally, I would say go with the longest cruise that you can afford and that works for you and your family, but if you are planning on going on the Joy in the near future, then maybe try the Escape? The Escape has a ropes course that your kiddos might enjoy and being docked in one place overnight does have its advantages. It definitely makes it easier to "go with the flow", since you have more time to check things out. Also, check out the family oceanview cabins on the Escape (O4 or O5, I believe). There is a lot more room compared to balcony cabins, a bigger bathroom, and usually a curtain to divide off the kids' sleeping area from the rest of the cabin.

Some of our favorite sea day activities: - Grabbing a shaded padded lounger or day bed somewhere and reading. The Waterfront is great for this, as is the Haven Sundeck. - Morning trivia, afternoon trivia, music trivia, etc. Always a highlight for us on our cruises. - Playing cards somewhere with an amazing view of the water. - Grabbing glasses of champagne from the bar and heading back to our suite to sit on the balcony with a fruit and cheese tray. - Walking around the Waterfront, as it is almost always quiet and we love looking at the ocean passing by. - A little bit of window shopping through the onboard shops. - Watching the sunset while having a delicious specialty meal, followed by listening to live music or watching a show with a nice after dinner drink.

They have the standard continental breakfast door hangers, but our butler advised us that we could request anything from the suites room service menu or from the Haven restaurant and write that on the tag and he would bring it to us at the time we specified. We could have also given him our order written on a note pad or called in our order to him as well.

This is the tour that we took: https://www.viator.com/tours/Juneau/Underground-Gold-Mine-and-Panning-Experience/d941-306071P3

Not true. From NCL's FAQ's: "No. If there are 2 Platinum, Sapphire, Diamond, or Ambassador members in one stateroom, only one Welcome Back Card will be delivered. This gives the correct number of Dinner for Two vouchers the guests are entitled to. For 3rd and 4th Platinum, Sapphire, Diamond, or Ambassador members in the same stateroom, an additional Welcome Back Card will be delivered. If there is only a 3rd Platinum, Sapphire, Diamond, or Ambassador member in the same stateroom, an additional Welcome Back Card will be delivered but this guest will be treated as a solo traveler who get one dinner only. The benefit is only if there are 2 guests dining on the same visit."

Add librarians to that request and you would be golden!

😭😭😭😭😭

Oof! We usually try to get to the terminal when they first open. Earlier this year, we selected the 9:30 am check-in time slot and it was so nice to be able to breeze through the check-in process. I would much rather get there early and wait in the terminal to board than wait in a line to check in, but that is just me. Even if the waiting time is the same, it just seems more relaxing to wait while seated than while standing in line surrounded by other people. Good luck, may the lines move quickly for you!

We did the NCL Chef's Table experience on the Epic in 2013 and it was awesome. I think it was discontinued later that year or early in 2014 because it wasn't offered when we sailed on the Dawn the following year. We wish they would bring it back, though. It was an amazing meal and a great experience. We are still friends with one of the couples that we met during the Chef's Table!

It's actually 2 dining vouchers per cabin: One includes a bottle of wine, the other does not. Both are good for 2 people each (so, 4 meals for the cabin). If there are 3 platinum members in the cabin, they will issue more vouchers, though they will only be good for 1 person per voucher instead of 2. 4 platinum members in a cabin will get 2 sets of vouchers for 2 people each.

Bon voyage! Can't wait to hear about the trip. We will be sailing on the Joy from NYC next April, so I am looking forward to hearing about your experiences on her.