ccm02339

I am hoping to plan a cruise with our twentysomething kids.  Top choice for mid January next year is the Escape

They will be in a 2 bedroom haven suite.  I couple and 2 others  

I have a few questions:  the 2 bedroom appears smaller than the same cabin on Epic and Encore? Can anyone compare for me?

Also we are hoping to spend most time in haven area sun deck and pool during the day I know the Haven sundeck is smaller than the Encore and Epic also includes POSH.  Do you find it easy to grab loungers?

I am thinking Escape because we love the District Brewhouse and Howl at the Moon

Epic we would lose the waterfront

Encore we lose howl at the moon but add in the Observation lounge but I dont think the kids will enjoy that.

What else should I be thinking about?

Thanks

On 10/16/2023 at 6:52 PM, sigma123 said:

We are in the same boat, as it were.  I specifically upgraded to one of these cabins to surprise my DW because of the hot tub.  This happened a few months before departure.  NCL has not replied to my request to get the full upgrade amount returned - they did give us the $500pp as a FCC but if I would have known ahead of time that the hot tubs would not be working, we would have stayed in our original cabin.  If we do not get proper compensation, we will have to think long and hard before cruising with NCL again.

@sigma123 can I ask when you are sailing? And when did you get notified of the problem?  We were told the issue should be resolved by the end of October and while I hope that’s true I won’t believe it until I hear from someone on ship

thanks

Thank you @Sailing12Away reading your review was very helpful. 

My husband spoke to NCL concierge pre cruise desk who said they are working on the problems Sept/Oct and hope to have completed by end of month.  Coincidentally they were working on our room yesterday.  I am still hoping for confirmation by passengers.  I saw a letter that said Prima suite hot tub were taken out of service Aug 31 so timeline hopefully is accurate.

Hello,

Hoping someone has information on this.  

We have a haven cabin with private hottub on balcony HA booked for February on Viva

I am reading that cruisers are being notified a week or two in advance that hot tub will not be in use and given OBC non refundableBoth Viva and Prima 

I have also read that the fix needed will not be completed until a drydoick which is not scheduled at this time

We are very close to final payment and Just want to see if anyone here has futher information/corroboration of these issues?

Thanks so much for your help

Sarah

Thank you so much for the time and thought you put into this review. I enjoyed every minute you were on the ship and love that you came back with overview!

I can’t wait to sail the Viva!

Thanks everyone!

31 minutes ago, shof515 said:

it depends on the OBC

 

if the TA buys the OBC as a "gift" to you then it is a refundable 

if it is part of some kind of booking perk then it is non refundable 

So the OBC is a booking perk from the travel agent not NCL

I was thinking that OBC that NCL provides is the only kind that can be non refundable?

The travel agent has the ability to make it non refundable too?

Thanks for your help and sorry for all the ????

Good morning,

I have asked my travel agent but they say they won't know until a month before cruse.

I am cruising in the Haven and my agent gives back 10% plus several other extra $ so our OBC balance will be more than I can imagine spending on board.

It it typical for Travel agent OBC to be non refundable?

just looking for some expert advice?

Thnak you,

Sarah

My family has gone diving in Roatan at west end divers. Their website has info on cruise ship excursions. They explored a reef that is the next biggest to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Loved the trip and found all staff to be very helpful. They will have a car pick you up and bring you back to ship. They are going back there in April!

Can you lift and shift online even if you are booked with a travel agent? Or is it best to have them do the shift? Thanks


Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I haven't seen this tip mentioned:  Use a credit card or cash for onboard account Not Debit!  The charges don't go through until the end of the cruise but holds are placed every day I believe.  This can cause problems when attached to a bank account.  Have fun!

We are booked on Allure Dec 15th and have lost Roatan for Nassau.  Will Stop at Coco Cay, Costa Maya and Cozumel.Husband wants to switch to Freedom out of San Juan to Curacau Aruba Bonaire and St Thomas.  He wants to Scuba in St Thomas bc that was plan for Roatan.  We did sail Freedom 10 years ago and was great but were excited about our first Oasis class ship.  Our kids are 21 and 19

We can change flights but FLL is so much simpler, direct flights and we know what to expect.

Is there good Scuba in Nassau? What else would you recommend?

Is Allure that much better than Freedom?

We had booked Maya Chan and the Cozumel Bar hop, suggestions for Curacau, Aruba or Bonaire?

Anything else I should consider?  I've looked at other Oasis class ships for the week and either itinerary or pricing are not agreeable

Thanks for your help

Sarah 

We just returned from radiance sailing and spent four days in Alaska beforehand. We had crazy warm weather only needed warmer clothes on our whale watch. We landed on a glacier and only needed a light fleece layer. I would advise a waterproof windbreaker too. We overpacked the warm clothes

Sent from my iPad using Forums

I’m following your adventures!! We are headed to Alaska next week and I’m looking forward to hear all about the stops along the way. How fun that you are traveling with your friend. Thanks so much for sharing your experiences!!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We used Budget last summer, booked through travelocity. I did notice many differences in total rental costs, and travelocity let us see several that were available. Pickup at port was easy to find and quick to get us to rental shop. Our final cost was about $55 but make sure you pad the drop off time in case of a flight delay. I noticed on my email confirmation that late fee was 33.50 per hour!!

My July Alaska cruise has some great discounts. Do they run this sale at other times? We are looking at some very expensive excursions but don't want to tie up 2k so far before the trip.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

It was in September when we sailed. Best place for breakfast. By the end of the week it was getting more crowded with maybe 20 people. No pancakes or waffles but made to order eggs and omelets.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

I see both on iPad app

Thanks for your review. We were also on this sailing and had a great time. It's so interesting to hear others' experiences.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Last Thursday we docked at Punta Langosta

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Please carry on Mandy! You are so funny and I peeked at your facebook pictures and love all the pics of you with your sister and mom! So sweet! How lucky you are to travel together!

check out the differences between the two ships as well. We have done both: the balcony on epic was larger but bathroom set up a bit odd. We loved the waterfront on Getaway and would choose it for that alone! I too prefer the Western itinerary.

I never see this mentioned so here goes:

We had aft balcony on Getaway last year July 4th week. Western Carribean itinerary

Loved the balcony size and view but was total sun and no breeze whatsoever!! We were hoping to hang late afternoons with our teens as the space certainly would allow but could only enjoy much later at night when finally cooler. YMMV

Good morning,

I am wondering if anyone has had success in using the $150 per person OBC from go big,better, best to apply to paying for gratuities?

Thank you

My husband and teenagers dove with west end divers and had a great experience. They even arranged to have a taxi pick us up at the port. Really great to work with.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

I have tried to search this but have been unsuccessful. We would be disembarking the eclipse on Sunday Jan 10 and I'm wondering if it would be possible to make a 11:05 flight. The next best option is 5:20 and I'm not sure what we would do with all that time. Thank you for your help!!