robin13

On ‎5‎/‎13‎/‎2019 at 3:42 PM, sarajean said:

Going on Bliss in June.

We are traveling with 5 other couples.

I know you need to make reservations for comedy shows and Beatle shows (and you should do it as soon as you are on board).

My question is: When I get on the ship and go to the Social to make reservations can I make them for other people in other cabins?

or do I need their card?   We are arriving at different times.

I was just on the Epic and you couldn't make reservations for the comedy show or the Beatle shows.  You just need to show up but beware as I tried to see the Beatles show in the Cavern Club and no seats 30 minutes ahead of time!!  They did have one Beatles show in the main theater first come but didn't get to make it.  They only took reservations for Priscilla Queen of the Desert and Burn the Floor.

Sorry but I have used my CN certificates on existing bookings before.  I just call my guy with NCL and he does it.  He even let me take one off of an existing booking and add it to an existing booking.

Yes and I had the worst cabin ever!  This was in the 90's and I had read that they had spent millions restoring the ship.  I had assumed that it also meant the cabins but come to find out that it was only the common areas.  My cabin was probably on deck 2  as every time we reached a port the damn anchor would wake us up.  It did have a little port hole and I do remember that it was a volley ball cruise as there were a lot of professional volley ball players. 

I too just got back from the 15 day TA and have to say that I really enjoyed the ship.  I had read all of those horrible reviews before I left and I was kind of scared to sail on her.  I thought the food was good and never had to wait for a drink.  I do have to say that the bathroom configuration is strange but since I was sailing solo in a mini suite it didn't bother me.  And I have to warn people that if your cabin comes with the bath tub be aware that it is very high to step into so if you have issues with mobility you need to ask for a shower instead of a tub.

And as previously mentioned do book ahead for the shows as there was always a long line of people without reservations.  At first I didn't know what the line was for that I was standing in and then discovered about 5 minutes later that it was for people without reservations.  Moved out of it and then just walked into the theater.  Loved Pricilla Queen of the Desert.  You can tell that it was a million dollar set and all of the actors did a great job.  Also saw Burn the Floor and that was excellent as well. 

You will have a great time so don't worry and enjoy your cruise.

4 minutes ago, YANKEES75 said:

Yes. I just mentioned the dramatic price drop. They offered complimentary balcony upgrade. Already, received a room number; 14116. 

Wow, good for you.  I guess in my situation there wasn't a dramatic price drop as I was willing to pay to upgrade to a balcony from the studio.  However, on my TA cruise on the Epic on Saturday I did get a free upgrade from a balcony to a mini suite as the mini suites were hundreds of dollars cheaper than what I paid for my original balcony cabin.  You will love the balcony.  Hope you have a great cruise.

19 hours ago, NYcruzzer said:

 

On my upcoming cruise on Dawn I was able to get a free "upgrade" from inside to OV due to price drop after final payment. i was told by rep that this was a one time allowance and that no further upgrades will be issued.  Going forward unless I'm sailing on a high demand holiday cruise such as NYE I'm going to book 30-45 days out.. Lower fares and still decent midship locations. No more booking 1+ years in advance. !!

I totally agree with you on booking last minute!  The only problem could be the airfare as I have to fly from Dallas but I do have miles I could use so that is a possibility.  I have learned my lesson as well on booking so early so for my next cruise it will be last minute.

55 minutes ago, YANKEES75 said:

This rookie, just made a Vet move and received a balcony upgrade. 🎂🥳🍺🍻

Can you please tell me how you did that?

I was on the Escape in a Studio cabin last April and every day around 5pm there was a solo coordinator in the lounge.  She was there to help with dinner and show reservations for that night.  Besides that she really didn't do much else.  Matter of fact one older man actually made her cry as he thought she should have been doing more for us.  I had to remind him that she was just there to coordinate and help out with those activities and she really didn't have any "pull".  He was mad that a dinner show was sold out and that we had to stand in the "no show" line in case the seats opened up.  He felt that she should have done more but it wasn't her fault at all.

So now instead of having to catch a 7:15am flight from BCN back home I am now on an 11:15am flight.  I was researching shuttles and saw there was a shared ride one that only cost $13.09E.  It does say that the max number of stops is 4 and the travel time could be up to 50 minutes.  Since I'm not in that big of a hurry to get to the airport I was thinking of taking one of these shared shuttles to save some money.  Considering a taxi is estimated around 35E to me it would be worth it.  Does anyone have any experience using a shared shuttle?

On ‎4‎/‎11‎/‎2019 at 4:58 PM, cruzky said:

We are doing the the same port in September.  We have booked with a company named Spain day tours. They are highly recommended on the Spain boards by former CC members. Do a web search for them. They have a great web-site. They do tours for most of the Spain ports.

 

Roseanna

I'm doing this tour at the beginning of April so I will let you all know how it is.  Matter of fact I have 4 tours booked with Spain Day Tours so hopefully there are no issues.

3 hours ago, graphicguy said:

Actually, the VIBE price is $209/pp.

 

I’m thinking they don’t sell out.  I was on the escape about 6 weeks ago.  And, the VIBE was nearly empty every time I went.  When I bought my pass, there were still passes available when the initial line to buy them had dissipated.

 

In fairness, we sailed on the Escape from NYC, and the first couple of days were “breezy”.  So, that may have kept people away.  But, by mid-cruise when the weather became warmer, I don’t think I ever saw more than 10 people in the VIBE, even on a sea day, mid-day, when it should have been the busiest.

 

I won’t buy VIBE passes again.  As others mentioned, there are too many other viable alternatives to the main pool area (Spice H20 with the water grotto, the WaterFront, etc).

I'm wondering if they priced themselves out of the game and that is why there were still passes left.  I did the Escape last April and rushed to get the Vibe pass for $99 but when I got there they were already sold out.  I was kind of glad as I really didn't want to pay that but I was going to if they were available.  Now for $209 there is NO way I would pay that and I'm thinking other people are thinking the same way as I do.  I'm wondering how they justify increasing it so much??

And for those solo travelers that are in a Studio cabin you will not be able to bid.  The bidding process is only for inside cabins and higher.  And one more thing NCL picks your cabin so if you don't like the location you are stuck with it unless you want to pay more money to change it.

I have been on 20+ cruises and everyone is correct in that the length of your cruise and the age of your ship most definitely dictates the age of the passengers.  My last cruise was a 10 day on RCCL Serenade of the Seas in the Caribbean and most of the passengers were 65+.  We met a group of 30 year old's from England and the first question they asked us is why are there so many older people on this cruise.   I had to explain to them about the length of the cruise and the older ship and then they understood.  My cruise before that was a 6 day on The Escape and most of the passengers were in their 40's.  Most older people seem to like the smaller ships which don't have all the bells and whistles and plus they are so big that it requires a lot of walking.  If you are looking for a fun crowd I would suggest Carnival.  I know that people run them down but their newer ships are very nice. 

And for the person asking about Celebrity it is also an older crowd.  I did the Summit 2 years ago and never felt so young.  and don't even think about Holland America as this is a real snooze fest. 

I always do self embarkation as I tend to take an early flight home since it is cheaper.  Last year on the Escape I had a 10:45am flight from FLL on a Sunday.  I left my cabin at 6:45am to get in line which I discovered was VERY long.  I was beginning to worry as I had never seen such long lines for self assist but once they opened the door it went very fast.  I flew through customs and got a taxi and was at the airport at 7:50am. 

1 hour ago, dbrown84 said:

yes, I'm cruising solo on 4/28.  I have an inside, with a low ($50) bid on a balcony.  If I get it, then great.  $100 for a balcony upgrade.  If not, I'm more than happy with my current room.

Yeah $100 for a balcony upgrade would be great.  Sure hope you get it as a balcony sure beats an inside cabin any day of the week.

11 hours ago, Defhermit said:

oooh. I did NOT know that. 

I had a chance to upgrade and when I read the small print about having to pay for two I said forgot it.  Also, you are stuck with the cabin that they select for you so if you currently like your location I would keep it.

3 hours ago, Cmdr Cody said:

Your problem is you paid final payment so they won't let you change it.  But if you have a bid for an upgrade option when you log into "My NCL" onm NCL dot com, you could bid for the room.  That may cost you more though.  

I was told that you can't bid if you are in a studio cabin. 

1 hour ago, Shadygap said:

Thank you for verifying what I worried would happen to me!  Closet-cabin!  I just told my travel agent two days to change mine to a balcony. I said I was splurging but I can be on the same deck as everyone else that is traveling now. There are few others going this time that I know but I am the only one not sharing cabin with anyone. I’m fine with that. I will do own thing and probably just meet with some of them for some meals. But I was really stressing about the studio. Now I’m not. 

So glad that my post helped you make the decision.  I know that people say that your never in your cabin but I always liked to spend a couple of hours relaxing after laying out at the pool so I did spend time in my cabin.  You will love having the balcony cabin to yourself and it does make it easy when you are near your friends.  BTW, I loved the Escape and wouldn't hesitate to go on the ship again.  Hope you have a great time.

On ‎3‎/‎26‎/‎2019 at 10:46 AM, Shadygap said:

I just returned home yesterday from first solo cruise.  It was only a 4 day cruise on Carnival.  It was delightful.  I would do it again in a heartbeat, however I'm not sure I could go for 7 days, that's just me.  I would go for 5 days.  Maybe I just need to work up to a longer cruise alone.  I'm scheduled on Norwegian Escape in November and there are people I know going but I have a studio cabin.  The price on inside cabins have dropped.  I debated on an inside cabin to begin with and now the debate in my head is even louder.  I know you aren't in your cabin much but I'm a bit claustrophobic and I'm just not sure I can handle the studio cabin. I keep going back and forth about it. 

I also did my first solo cruise on Carnival but it was a 5 day.  I then did my 2nd solo cruise on The Escape last April.  I was in a studio cabin which I was in before on the Epic with a friend.  I like the studio cabins because of the price; however, if the inside or a balcony cabin go down in price and it is something that I can afford then I would definitely go for it.  I found that after a certain number of days the studio cabin started feeling like I was in a large closet.  The cabin is very cute but very cozy!! I'm going on a 15 day TA at the end of April and I knew that there was no way that I could be in that cabin for 15 days.  I splurged and got a balcony and then I was upgraded to a mini suite.  I will be loving this cabin and probably won't want to leave it (lol). 

I sailed solo on the Escape last year and there was an organized dinner every night at 5:30pm.  Since I didn't know anyone and I hate to eat alone I went every night (except for the first night) and ate with the group.   The first night I went to dinner by myself but several minutes later the hostess seated 6 more people at my table so I wasn't alone long.  My only concern about the solo group dinner is that it is so early.  I will be sailing solo on a TA at the end of April and some of the people in our FB group will be going to dinner around 7pm.  As for breakfast I was always seated alone which was fine as I brought a book and read while I ate my breakfast. 

I tried to buy them last April for the Escape and they were all gone by the time I got there.  And that was when they were $99 but now being $209 a person maybe people won't be so quick to buy them.  I know to me they aren't worth that much money as I really didn't want to pay $99 and was kind of glad that they were sold out.

I did my first and last guarantee cabin booking several months ago.  I had heard stories from various people that had no issues with their cabin locations so I thought to save money I would try one as well.  So I booked a balcony guarantee cabin on the Epic and when I got the cabin number I discovered that it was so far forward that I was almost at the pointy end of the ship.  That part wasn't so bad as my last cruise on RCCL I was in an inside cabin that was at the front of the ship.  The bad part was that the balcony cabin was an "enclosed" balcony which I discovered in the small print on my booking notice.  I had no idea NCL even had these balconies.  I looked at a picture of one and it looked like a big picture window surrounded by metal.  I'm sorry but that isn't my idea of a balcony so I called my NCL guy and he said the only way to change the cabin was for me to pay for it.  So I shelled out another $200 to change cabins so I would have a normal balcony.  So the answer to your question is you are stuck unless you pay to change the cabin location.

14 hours ago, nwcruiselover said:

I have done studios on the Breakaway and Getaway.  Most recently, I did a Baltic cruise followed by a transatlantic in the studio, a total of 23 days.  That was way too long to be in a studio.  I would do a studio again, but only for a short (7-10 day max) cruise.  The cabin started feeling more and more like a closet as the days went on.  On my Getaway cruise later this month I booked a sailaway balcony for $200 more than the studio, and eventually was upgraded free to a mini suite. I’ll definitely appreciate the extra space and of course the balcony.

So glad to read this as this is exactly my thoughts.  And your right after a while it does feel like a big closet (lol).

So something similar happened to me last year on the Escape.  I booked the studio cabin with my NCL PCC and I specifically asked him if the price went down for a inside or balcony cabin would I be able to upgrade.  He said yes no problem.  Well it was a problem when I noticed that the balcony cabins were just $100 hundred dollars more than what I paid for my studio cabin.  I called him to see about upgrading and he said it would be an additional $700.  I asked why and he said that I booked under the "solo cruiser discount".  And since those cabins are meant for two or more people I had to pay double.  Long story short I stayed in my studio cabin but will never book the "solo cruiser discount" again. 

I have stayed in a 2 bedroom suite which was on the Pearl and then have done the studio cabins twice.  The 2 bedroom suite was so nice as it had a living room and dining room area.  The 2nd bedroom which was like an inside cabin was a little small but it did have it's own bathroom.  There was plenty of space for the one person so I wouldn't worry about that.  Now the Studios are quite compact but really cute.  There is no place to sit down except on the bed or on a stool.  If you don't spend a lot of time in your cabin and you want to save money then the studio is the way to go.  One of the perks to the studio cabin is that you have access to the studio lounge 24/7.  There are beverages and snacks in there and it is a cool place to stretch out as there isn't my stretching room in the studio cabins (lol).