SuiteCruisin14

I believe the Dining Package allows you 1 Appetize, 1 Entree and 1 dessert.  Anything extra goes on your onboard account.

We want to rent a car in Seattle at the cruise terminal.  Appreciate any info on what companies are available?

Hello Everyone,

I will need a wheelchair rental for an entire NCL Jade cruise in February. Is there an agency that will have the rental available right from stepping out of the taxi at the Port of Miami?

Is there a handicap entrance that we can get to from the road?

Is Harvest Cay handicap accessible? I want to know cruisers experience, not the NCL line in the brochure.

I have many past cruises but not with a wheelchair. Any assistance is greatly appreciated.

Lynda

On-board the Epic, as of Feb 4, 2017:

 

Hotel Director: Mustafa Gulbahar

Ass't Hotel Director: Stefan Antonescu

Senior F&B Director: Yannis Kazalis

Executive Housekeeper: Orlando O'Neill Manuel

Cruise Director: Pedro Serra

Beverage Manager: Zdravko Kohakovic

Guest Services Manager: Aminta Gomez

Exec Chef: Alok Kumar

Restaurant Mgr: Herman Gonzalez Rios

We will be on the Epic, April 1 2017 TA, will this still be the staff?

Lynda

Thank you all for the great ideas. Presenting her with a box of clues tomorrow. We have Euros, luggage tags, passport renewal forms and we printed out some tourist reviews that do not identify the location.

I will already be in Barcelona when she flies over to meet me so we have to make sure she goes to the right place.

Thanks, again

Lynda

You are an amazing grandma.

 

For Christmas I surprised my mom with a cruise via a shutterfly calendar.

 

I made the calendar for the year and on the days of the cruise I filled in the ports etc....

 

She read the calendar and did not even notice it!

I could do that if I had time but we need to present it this week-end as she has to renew a passport.

Lynda

Our Granddaughter is graduating in May with a Bachelor Degree in Psychology, what is so special?

She is only 19! We are surprising her with a small cruise and 5 days in Barcelona post cruise. We want to present differently than, "here is a trip". I am interested in any way you may have surprised someone. We have thought of a few hints, like some Euros, a luggage tag, Spanish dictionary.

What suggestions might you have? Thanks in advance.

Lynda

OMG! I really enjoyed your review. We are on the Epic for a Transatlantic in April and look forward to seeing what you saw.

On another NCL ship, we saw the sign for the "clothing optional" deck. Hubby said he was going to check it out. I told him I did not care, BUT, if he was going up there, to be fair, he needed to drop his swim suit at the top of the stairs. He never went.

Lynda

Thanks for the review, following. We are on the Epic for a TA in April, looking forward to your review.

I have done this activity twice on land and it is a lot of fun. I have no artistic ability and both came out ok.

Can't wait to do it aboard a ship.

Lynda

Our cruise is 1/25 on the Pearl we've never been on NCL nor an inside before but it's just the hubby and I this time. When can I expect a room assignment? And should I give up hope for an upgrade?

We, too, booked the Pearl for that date in an inside GTY. We always expect the worse and hope for the best. We needed one point each to be Platinum so we took this cruise.

Getting an upgrade from there is iffy and always be sure you can be happy in what you booked in case that is what you get.

See you on board.

Lynda

Thank you for the positive feedback on the Epic. Have done many cruises but not Epic. We are looking forward to the Epic and a TA in April and we are very excited to do both.

Over the years I have read many reviews and I can't understand how a small incident can ruin your entire cruise. Move on!

Lynda

Here are a couple more menus:

 

 

Thanks for posting. I still see several things that will make me happy on my cruise so not upset yet.

However, my cruise is not until 4/17 so many things can change by then.

Lynda

I understand what the OP is getting at and I agree. We booked a 2017 Transatlantic (13 nights)from Orlando to Barcelona in January on the Epic. We are in an aft balcony cabin, which is our favorite.

Because we booked so far ahead we received the UBP and 6 Specialty dinners for 2. The cost to us was the gratuities on the packages which came to $399. For 13 nights that comes out to $30.69 a day for 2 people. The entire price with the Promo's was $2499 total for 2.

With many days at sea this is more than a bargain.

Lynda

Make reservations at 90 days.

 

As soon as you board, take some time to review the shows and activities on your iConcierge application for the whole cruise.

 

And quickly make your initial changes if there are any obvious conflicts.

 

As the cruise goes on, adjust your reservations (again) as you get into relaxing on the TA.

 

On our last cruise, we made changes almost every day as we figured out what we really wanted to do.

On your TA, was it necessary every day to HAVE a reservation in Specialty dining? Was there any time you felt you would not get into somewhere if you did not have that reservation?

Thanks, Lynda

We are on the Epic TA from Orlando to Barcelona. We have 6 nights of Specialty Dining as a Promo.

I wonder if we really need to make reservations for dinner on a cruise that long. We plan to eat early some nights and later some nights but not sure at 90 days out when that would be.

Any suggestions or feedback on doing reservations or not would be appreciated.

Lynda

We loved the Waterfront deck on the Escape. A great place to sit out during the day and visit, read, watch the world go by and meditate.

It was too chilly to eat out on the deck but a drink at night at one of the outside bars was awesome.

Lynda

We are doing our first TA in 2017 after many other types of cruises. I don't know what is offered on the ship but our Roll Call is already full of extra things. we have receipe exchanges, slot tourneys, pub crawls, games and cards, all organized by CC members.

Maybe you should look at the TA you are planning and see what the Roll Call has come up with.

Lynda

We used http://www.romeinlimo.com they cover most of Italy and were excellent. Some we joined other members on the roll call and others we booked direct on the Rome in Limo website by clicking the link share a tour and looking for our ship and date. Have a great time on the Epic, we certainly did.

 

Denise

We, too, used Rome in Limo for two port tours in Italy and we loved them. They were on time, had drivers and tour guides that knew exactly what they were talking about.

Vinnie was a hoot.

Lynda

We spent a week in Barcelona a few years ago pre-cruise. We bought the Hop On/Hop Off bus pass and it brought us to everything we wanted.

We stayed at Hotel Continental right on Las Ramblas and loved the location and the hotel. Do not be swayed by the free buffet, wine and beer. A lot of it was not edible but the rooms were great and again, location.

Buy your tickets for La Sagrada Familia before you leave USA, if not you will be in line forever.

Lynda

I usually drink red wine with a few vodka cocktails thrown in. If you do NOT have the drink package it is much better to buy the wine you drink at home and pay the $15 corkage fee on each bottle. You will still be cheaper per bottle and have decent wine to drink.

Lately, even the drink package does not have decent wine but the alcohol you can get with the package makes it worthwhile.

Lynda

We have decorated our cabin door many times. Also put up very small white boards so our family/friends can leave messages.

Many years ago this was not an issue but lately, (past 6 years), we have had magnets taken off our doors. We also had people erase messages and rewrite them.

Lynda

I was on a Med cruise in 2010 and really wanted to go to the pool. I was a size 2X at the time and not comfortable but loved swimming and the sun. I expressed my concerns to my hubby and he said a very profound sentence that I never forgot.

He said, "I am the only one who cares and I have seen you naked. I love you and you are beautiful to me. If you need the people at the pool to love you, too, being in a swimsuit won't matter".

Be yourself and do what you love, life's too short.

Lynda

We thoroughly enjoyed this show on the Escape last Fall.

The person playing Jerry Lee Lewis was on point and hilarious as well as musically awesome.

The other 3 musicians were very believable in the rolls and playing the music.

I would love to see it again.

Lynda

I take several drugs along with controlled substances. Depending on the length of my travels, I pack them in containers with the day on the front so I can remember to take them.

I do not carry the original bottles but I do have Walgreen's print out the exact prescription info for me.

This info allows my companion to have access to the exact dosages in case of emergency, (never needed it Thank God), and a contact in the states, (Walgreens), if we need more info.

I have never had an issue.

Lynda