sixesandeights

Just off the escape and I never saw a crepe station.

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Just got off...not only did it eliminate the wait, it eliminated the customers. It was DEAD all week. If you are going to pay for food go to food republic where you at least get good food.

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Was on this trip as well. Only did specialties Cagneys, Le Bistro, and Tep were all fantastic. La Cuchina was terrible (we hated it so much we canceled our second res there immediately. Bad food, bad service, just...bad), and the meat in Moderno was close to inedible. Only saving grace of Moderno was the sushi on the salad bar.

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Interesting, since it was just last year that NCL changed their policy on this from being at the Captain's discretion to an outright prohibition on it.

That's why I passed this along. It does not seem to be the case at all. I passed this to others on board and they were all able to get them opened without issue.

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Just off the Escape and I want everyone to know they happily opened the dividers between the rooms for us. We had 3 connecting minisuites and created a huge super balcony. All it took was a call to our room steward and they popped them open. They even had a way to lock them back. So if you have connecting rooms keep this in mind.

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I've seen the menu and draft list but that was only from the European cruises. I'm assuming now that they are based out of Miami the menu / list has changed.

 

Does anyone have the Miami based list?

Being that it is Craft brew I would expect the list to change regularly. Craft beer bars typically have an ever rotating menu. That is what makes them unique.

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You are free[style] to go to any show. We normally go to Levity or Second City every night they play. Never been turned away. But you have to queue. We went to the Million Dollar Quartet twice on the Escape.

That is not freestyle. That is scheduling in advance where to go.

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With NCL making everything require a reservation it has killed the freestyle feel of their cruises....

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I am assuming that you can get a souvenir cup as long as the total is below $15. At least that was the way it was on Celebrity a few years back. They had daily drink specials in a souvenir cup.

You assume incorrectly. You can get the drink in a regular glass for free, or a drink in the special glass and you pay for the glass. None of the special glasses are included with the UBP.

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I never understood why people take this cruise anyway. The price is far to high for what you get. There are MUCH better ways to see Hawaii. Add to that the new "over promise, under deliver" attitude NCL has taken under FDR and it seems like even more of a ripoff to me....

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Thank you all again for the kind words.

 

My writing style is C+ at best, at least that is what they told me in school! I'm surprised the grammar ****s aren't out in force on this.

We are now heading to the airport to go home. Boo. I will have plenty of time to write more before we board. Are you interested in hearing about anything more specific? I plan on touching more on the Football and Tvs as well as a little about the ports.

Did you by chance have any gelato at Dulce? If so was it good? Do you remember any of the flavored offered? Also did you see/go to the seafood buffet said to be offered one evening? What night was it? How was the food? Thank you for your review and have a safe trip home.

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Hi there,

 

I'm interested in finding out the name of the dive shop for Cozumel as well as Grand Cayman too as we'll be cruising NCL in February 2016.

 

I was originally going to try my own booking as I like reading reviews before deciding on who to go with, but with the short time in port and needing to be back on board the ship two hours prior to departure, I'm thinking it may be easiest and less stress to book through NCL.

 

*one day I'll get to Roatan* :o

 

Thanks!

Dawn

Two hours before departure is in Miami, not the ports. If you setup your own dive in GC make sure to go the the USS Kittiwake. It's very cool. A nice penetration dive.

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Hello,

I will be sailing on the Star Dec. 6-13. I have booked diving excursions in Rootan and Cozumel. Does anyone know which dive shops NCL uses?

Thanks

JB

If you have never dove Roatan you are in for a treat. It is my favorite dive location in the Caribbean. Last time we dove with NCl they used Anthony's Key Resorts. I have never dove with NCL in Cozumel so I cant help you there.

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Hey all. We're returning from the Escape on January 9th to Miami. Is it even remotely possible to make an 8 am flight out of MIA? I'm guessing not. If no, should we go for the 9:45 or 11:45 out of FLL? If it helps, we have Global Entry and TSA Precheck, so security should be easy for us both through customs and at the airport. Thanks!

Not a snowballs chance you make an 8am flight. 9:45 is even a huge risk. 11:45 should be fine.

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I haven't cruised in a couple of years and haven't cruised on NCL since 2006 but am booked on the Dawn in a couple of months. I don't usually buy liquor on a cruise except by the drink in one of the bars, but I'm thinking of buying a couple of bottles either on the ship or perhaps in one of the ports.

 

Which is the better option? Are ship's prices less than those I'll find in Cozumel or perhaps Costa Maya? Or are they more?

 

Thanks for answers.

When you get on the boat check the prices. When you get to port check the prices. Buy the best deal.

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Each of the liquors are poured at 1/2 ounce each. They are not full shots. It is still a strong drink but equates to about 2 1/2 shots, not 5+

Then you are making yours wrong. It is a full shot. Else it would not fill a glass.

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Kids earn point, but don't have a status until they are 18. I don't know how to check that they earned them however.

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Can anyone on board post the prices of the gelato at dulce? Have not seen any info on this place. Thanks.

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Ok, we have a cruise booked for January on the Gem out of NYC. We have both cruised with NCL several times. Here's the situation. We are recently married. Our current reservation has my wife's maiden name listed on it. Her current/valid passport ALSO has her maiden name on it (so the reservation name, and passport name MATCH) but she has gone ahead and changed her name on her drivers license to my last name. If you show a passport at check-in, are you still required to show another ID? If so, her last name on the passport (maiden name) and last name on the license (my last name) WON'T match. Below is what I found on NCL's website. I'm wondering if we should expedite a new passport with her "new" married last name to match her drivers license, and switch the name on the reservation. Anyone have any first hand experience with this? Or does anyone know if we will have a problem if we don't get her an updated passport with the "new" married name? Thanks a lot for any and all insight, I really appreciate it.:D:D:D

I have been in this exact situation, and actually we still are. my now wife got her passport shortly before we got married. It is good for 10 years so we have kept it. We still make her reservations under her old name and have no problems getting on the ship. They only need a passport not 2 forms of id. We do bring a copy of the marriage certificate to be safe, but have never needed it. You will be totally fine with just the passport. Enjoy your trip!!

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With the beverage package there is no cost for the drink ( if under $15), do they still charge tax? Royal out of Ft Lauderdale does not.

This is a scam that NCL pulls. I have had the UBP type package on other lines and have never been charged tax. Why NCL does is a complete mystery...

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Greetings NCL fans: My friends and I like to travel one to a cabin even though we travel 'together' ... so we're not exactly what people mean when they say 'solo' travellers. We're used to paying supplements of 125% to 200% to do this.

 

Not interested in 'inside' or small 'solo' cabins; we don't cruise all that often but when we do we're not particularly price-sensitive. And for the first time I'm considering NCL because of a Santiago to Buenos Aires (Dec 19) itinerary which is appealing.

 

But when I try to reserve staterooms, the system responds with "Number of guest selected is not supported by this Itinerary. Please try with a different itinerary or guest count."

 

Does this mean NCL won't let people travel one-to-a-cabin on this cruise even if they pay for two people? What would be the rationale for this? TIA.

Call to make this reservation. Run the price for 2 people, that will be your cost.

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Two twin beds pushed together makes a "Short King" It is called this because the width is the same as a King, but it is shorter by a few inches.

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I thought the Aqua racer slide (one with lights) said "tandem". Can 2 people go down the slide at the same time?

Yes, there are double tubes available for that slide.

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I am a cruiser since 1973, with RCCL being most of our cruises, then Celebrity, 2 Princess (one 28 nights), 1 HAL (for 29 nights), 1 each NCL, Costa, and Cunard.

 

My bff and I are planning a cruise in 2017 to the Med, and the NCL Spirit has an 11 day itinerary that is literally half the price of the Azamara 7 night we have booked. I booked the Azamara while on a Celebrity ship to get the discounts, etc., but it was mainly because of the itinerary.

 

I've been on almost all of RCCL's ships, the Horizon, Constellation, Millenium, and Equinox on Celebrity, the Star and Sapphire on Princess, and the Oosterdam on HAL. I'm not particular about the size of the ship, either, so smaller or larger is fine. I'm not a particularly fussy cruiser, having seen the ups and downs over the years. I like good food, good service, and a nice looking ship. My bff is even more laid back than me!

 

Will we be disappointed in the Spirit? I don't want to just chase the dollar discount, but with the Free Style promo going on right now, it's hard not to switch. I though you more experienced NCL cruisers could help us out.

 

Thanks!

I have never sailed Azamara, so I am not sure what to expect there in terms of service and food quality. I will say that Med cruises are typically very port intensive so the ship is much less "important" on those cruises to me. For the price savings you are talking about, plus you would get the drink package included for free I think the 11 day would be amazing. I would budget to eat in the specialty restaurants most (all) nights and the food should be very very good. The MDR is hit or miss for me on NCL, but with the savings you talk about adding a dining package to cover all days will still be a drop in the bucket. It is not a luxury line, so I doubt the service will be that of a line like Cunard but the service on NCL tends to be very good overall. PLUS you get an 11 day cruise instead of 7 days. As long as you are happy with the itinerary changes I think you will enjoy the Spirit very much.

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Wow. how is this one possible? Do the bartenders really put that much in there for that kind of price?

Yup, its how the drink is made. Shot of each Gin, Rum, Vodka, Tequila, and Triple Sec and on NCL most put a float of Grand Marnier. Add a little sour and a splash of coke for color and that is the drink. It is basically a glass of liquor.

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