kitkat343

According to their contract, they do have the right to drop ports for any reason. But if they don't have a very good reason to do drop ports after final payment, especially once in a lifetime ones, they will lose the trust of their passengers. On my sailing, they dropped one port and the morning of another after final payment to help the environment. They left the original itinerary on their website and continued to sell the cruise for the following month with the original itinerary advertised including the dropped ports. People who booked directly with NCL after the cancellations were not informed of the changes at the time of booking and they were not allowed to cancel. I called and wasn't allowed to switch to an identical sailing a few weeks later, despite the fact that we chose this cruise for my daughter to visit the monkeys in the DR. On my cruise, there was a significant percentage of passengers who were just happy to be out of the cold and have the drinking package. NCL either needs to prioritize making ports whenever it is safe for them to do so (and I have no idea if there was a legitimate emergency this time) or sail just to the Caribbean, where people will be less likely to be upset about cancelled ports after final payment. This has been an issue raised before

That's possible. Also, the websites of all the cruise lines seem to sometimes have some issues. We are a family of 5 and usually book 2 rooms. On my last cruise, I searched Cunard's website and found a room for 3 and another for 2. When I went back two days later to put a hold on the room, all the rooms for 3 were gone. I figured it probably sold out, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to call and check. When I called it turned out the phone operator had access to rooms the website listed as sold out and I was able to book the cruise. A travel agent or a call to a NCL rep might be able to straighten this out. Good luck.

We did a cruise to Alaska on the Coral princess many years ago and it was quite lovely. If the complaints are about the cruise tour please note that we did that independently and it went quite well. If you think you might prefer and independent cruise tour, that's something to consider. We were on the same railcar as the cruise ships and stayed at the HAL hotel.

This is a really good point. My kids were really happy on their first Cunard cruise - we sailed to Norway. Prior to that, my children had only sailed on very old ships. They were very happy on that cruise. After my 3rd was born, we started sailing out of NY to avoid flying, and happened to sail on two ships with waterslides. They definitely missed the waterslides on our last Cunard cruise, so I think a child's prior cruise experiences are something to consider. My younger kids missed the waterslides more - my 13 year old had lots of friends he hung out with and he participated in trivia with his friends and his new girlfriend even got him to attend a ballroom dancing class. My younger kids seemed to miss the waterslides and splash pad more, although they really loved meeting Santa and the New Year's buffet on the ship .

I can't edit my original comment since too much time has passed so let me rephrase here: All of the previous posters who noted that children with diapers cannot use the splash pads on NCL are correct. If using a splash pad is something that is important for your family, please note that all Disney and some RC ships have installed a stronger water filtration system that makes it safe for children in diapers to use the splash pads on certain ships.

Splash pads that are safe for kids in diapers have better filtration systems. Different cruise lines offer different amenities for kids. Parents of young children may need to temporarily choose a cruise line based upon their family’s needs. all Disney and some rc ships have splash pads for kids in diapers. cunard and carnival accept children in free drop off care at the age of 2. Princess lets children under 3 attend the kids club if a parent stays to supervise. all Disney and some rc ships have fee based nurseries for kids under 3. Availability is not guaranteed.

Is it possible for you to get independent trip insurance in case your NCL flight doesn't make it? Before purchasing independent insurance, please check with the insurance forum because I am not expert on cruise insurance and am not certain if an independent policy would help you here if there are problems with your flight. The NY Times just had an article on a passenger who booked airfare and travel insurance for her honeymoon through NCL. The flight was cancelled, and then NCL's insurance refused to reimburse her for the trip. Is there any chance of you getting independent insurance to cover you if your flight is delayed or cancelled? (and please note this isn't a criticism solely of NCL - I think all the cruise lines insurance don't cover flight issues, even when you book both flights and the cruise through the cruise line.) https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/01/travel/cruise-travel-insurance.html Also, I'm assuming you are aware of the Denali closures. If not, you might want to consider if a different cruise tour might be better given the timing of your arrival and the Denali closures.

Olden, Geiranger and Flam were my 3 favorite ports on my Norwegian cruise. You'd definitely want to do more of them if you can because the views are spectacular on a clear day, but harder to appreciate when it's cloudy. Maybe try to research photos of the Flam railroad, the Loen skylift photos and the Geiranger viewpoints photos to help you pick between those three destinations. Please note that the road to the highest viewpoint in Geiranger is seasonal, and opens after the big annual avalanche. We sailed May 18th and missed it by 4 days (but we arrived 3 days after the Loen Skylift opened so overall we did quite well since I had no idea that the Loen Skylift was about to open when I booked my cruise and it was so new there weren't even cruise excursions going there yet). There are other really lovely viewpoints in Geiranger and you can also visit a nice lake if you can't get to the highest viewpoint. One thing to note is that Geiranger is a lot of driving on curvy, winding, hilly roads to access the different viewpoints, so if you are prone to motion sickness that might be something to consider (I loved Geiranger but my kids were definitely done with the car by the end of our tour). You drive for a little while, get out and explore and then drive to the next viewpoint so there are breaks from the driving built in to this day. In Olden, you have a long drive to the Briskdal glacier, but it's a beautiful drive and was quite straight and flat. The Loen Skylift is really close to Olden, and the Flam railway is within walking distance of the port.

We took a 6 and 2 year old on a Cunard Norway cruise in May (during the UK and US school year). There were very few children, probably due to the timing. Our last Christmas Cruise on Cunard was filled with children, and my 13 year old had a wonderful time roaming the ship. Norway is absolutely gorgeous and has new restrictions on ships coming into the heritage fjords starting in (I think but you should check) 2025, so I'd strong recommend sailing that voyage that sooner rather than later. If you are interested in the fjords (as opposed to the longer cruises near the arctic) my favorite three ports were Flam, Geiranger and Olden. Flam and Geiranger are both scheduled for restrictions, so try to get there while you can. Aleseund is also much beloved on the Baltic forum (I didn't sail there on my cruise since the itineraries vary a lot). Cunard did a really good job in Norway, and I think your kids will find other young people to hang out with (I only saw my 13 year old for about 10 minutes each day we were at sea. he had a wonderful time).

You can remove the free at sea package at time of booking if you wouldn't drink enough alcoholic beverages to justify the taxes. You can charge your sodas to the room. There's a nonalcoholic package that's cheaper you can look into to see if it would be less than just buying a few sodas each day. It is customary to give room service attendants a few dollars per tray of food. You can give them cash or charge it to your room. For shore excursions, I'd recommend booking private ones through tripadvisor, but please research the cancellation policies in case the ship doesn't dock. Usually in the Caribbean tours are refundable when the ship doesn't dock, but they are often nonrefundable in Europe.

And if your child might go to splash academy, please go there during the special sign up hours to explain your child's needs to the staff. You can include this information on the email you send to the special needs department, but I'd also recommend speaking to the splash academy staff directly. You can bring your child to splash academy and have them meet the staff with you and help them adjust to the kids club. They have a limited number of beepers they give parents of young children having trouble adjusting and children with disabilities. Tell the kids club staff if you want to be notified immediately if your child wants to leave (they tend to try to distract the kids the first time they ask, since many parents are annoyed to have to pick up their kids early. If you tell them to call you right away, they will and you can get your child whenever they've had enough). You might also want to cross post this on the family forum, and parents of other children with autism might have more advice. On the first buffet, bring a bag to take back some fruit, yogurt and cereal so you always have snacks in the room (on my last cruise NCL still had cereal boxes but most lines have eliminated them so its possible NCL will at some point also). You can bring sealed food off the ship and I'd recommend always having snacks on hand while you are in port. For families, I always strongly recommend considering private tours with just your own family, so you can control the itinerary and reduce wait time. Private tours for just your family are sometimes less than ship tours, but if they cost too much then at least consider private tours for small groups, since the smaller buses can get closer to attractions and there's less waiting. But research the private tour cancellation policy before booking. Usually in the Caribbean they are refundable if the ship doesn't dock, but in Europe they might not be. Longer term, please note that both Cunard and Princess allow children under 3 to attend the kids club with parental supervision. You'd need to contact their special needs departments, but it's possible they would also let parents of children with disabilities stay in the kids club to the side. If that's something your child would need, you can contact those lines to see if its possible with them (I don't know but it might be an accommodation hey can make since they let some parents in the kids club already).

If they are fairly isolated reviews mentioning a sewage smell or backed up toilets, that's an issue that can pop up occasionally on a. lot of cruise ships and I wouldn't worry too much unless it appears throughout a lot of the reviews. Over Christmas, Princess will attract a lot of families. No water slides, but good kids club with very good hours. We sailed the 10 day Panama Canal partial transit on the coral princess that left 1/8. They told me the previous sailing had over 100 kids. Ours had only 8 because school was back in session. If kids are an issue for you, you might want to consider a different sailing date.

For those of us who sail for itinerary, Cunard's dress code policy can be a little frustrating (I have three small kids, so on our last cruise we needed life jackets, Christmas presents and a formal suit for my husband and a dress for me. My car was completely packed and I couldn't imagine what we would have done if we weren't within driving distance of the port). But the truth is that there are lots of repeat Cunard customers who really love the line and the formality of it. People on this forum have said they don't care about repetitive itineraries because they don't need to get off the ship since they love being on it so much. So I would imagine this will be the absolute last line to give up the dress code since it makes so many of their core customers really happy (on our sailings there were lots of people in tuxes and formal gowns - and on my cruise to Norway there were even some ladies in evening gowns in the buffet). But Cunard's food is excellent, and they usually have long port days so they are a good line to consider for Alaska. But you will need to be at least minimally compliant with the dress code if you choose to sail with Cunard.

I sailed on May 18th (we had a 2 year old and needed to sail Cunard for daycare). Start planning your excursions early - some small tour operators didn't have the infrastructure in place in mid-May and need extra time to plan (we visited a goat farm, and they needed a month to design the tour since the goats were still at their winter farm, which doesn't usually get visitors). In Olden, check with Olden Adventures - they run busses to both the Loen Skylift and Briskdal Glacier. If you have a longer day in port, you can do both. Check and see if the troll cars are running if that's something you need for the Briskdal Glacier. I was at the Loen skylift when it had only been open 3 days (and it was a cloudy day) so there were no crowds, but have read on these forums that it can get backed up at the height of the tour season, so going early that might be one advantage. We couldn't carry our 2 year old, so Pulpit Rock was not an option for us. Without that, we didn't find anything that was a must- see in Stavanger. A Rodne cruise is a pleasant boat ride to see the scenery, but certainly not a must do on a Norwegian cruise. You can check to see that they are running on the day of your arrival. The waterfalls will be quite full and lovely, and there will be lots of snow pack. I also was very impressed with the snow clearing equipment they have - their plows look much more substantial than anything I'd ever seen in NY (but I'm from the city, not upstate and maybe upstate they have better snow removal equipment).

So glad it all worked out! The pictures of your balcony look lovely!

They will happily bring you anything you like for the kids, and. if your child tries something and doesn't like it they will be happy to bring something else. Please don't worry - they are very good with kids.

Being unable to access Venice directly is absolutely not NCL's fault. The Italian government banned all cruise ships from being able to dock in Venice starting on August 1, 2021. And since the law was passed in July of 2021, it was challenging for the cruise lines to figure out how to handle this issue during the 2021 season (in addition to a 90 minute tender the government was requiring tenders to be dropped off at the cruise terminal, which requires more transportation to reach St. Marks and the tourist parts of Venice). But the European cruise season for 2024 will mark 3 full years since NCL was made aware of this law. An accurate itinerary would list the port as Trieste (Venice) or Ravenna (Venice) the way that other distant ports are clearly listed on itineraries when cruises are marketed, such as Le Harve (Paris). That's assuming NCL is keeping Venice by replacing it with nearby ports. If they are replacing Venice with Croatia, then that's a significant itinerary change that can't be blamed on the Italian government since NCL has had 3 years to either figure out the logistics of docking at Trieste/Ravenna or take Venice off their schedule altogether. Threads on itinerary changes after final payment pop up on the NCL boards (and I understand these changes might not all be within final payment, but people do tend purchase nonrefundable airfare which makes it harder to cancel a cruise at this point). This was the last one: The only good news is that NCL is now (as far as I know) changing the itinerary on their website after they drop ports. On my last NCL cruise they didn't change the itinerary on their website after dropping a port and the morning of another to help the environment. People booked the cruise for the next month were completely unaware of the new itinerary, and even those who called NCL to book directly with them after the cancellations who weren't notified of the changes and they were not allowed to change or cancel their cruise.

I'm not sure - but the other issue is whether the noise would actually bother you, which might be affected by the current kids club hours. Currently, the NCL website states that the operational hours will be posted on the ship. Checking the dailies of recent Breakaway sailings would give you the best idea of what hours it is currently operational, but if the cruise is far in the future that might be hard to predict since NCL may go back to having set kids club hours in the future. Historically, the kids club has been open from 9-12, 2-5 and 7-11 pm and then there's late night care until 1:30 am (but I don't know if the kids club is currently open for late night care) I don't know if that cabin specifically is in the pathway people would use to reach the entrance of the kids club. If so, it is likely you will hear people talking in the hallway, especially at opening and closing times. Parents also sometimes line up outside the kids club right before it opens and wait there (and unfortunately on holiday cruises/cruises where the kids club is at capacity and turning away kids parents will line up quite a bit earlier than they open to ensure they get a spot), so depending on where the entrance is there might be people congregating outside of the entrance. On the Getaway the line to drop off was through the arcade, and on the Star it was in a hallway which would reduce the amount of noise/traffic. On my last Cunard cruise, the entrance was off a cabin hallway, so kids would see each other on the way to the kids club and run up to each other and greet each other happily, which wasn't screaming but the level of noise they were making I certainly could understand could be frustrating for the passengers who were in the cabins near the kids club and heard it all the time. Cunard had people sign up for the kids club hours online, so thankfully there was no one standing in line 3 times a day in the hallways waiting for it to open, since that would be really disturbing for the nearby cabins, but its possible NCL is aware of that issue and has designed the entrances on all of the kids club to minimize disturbances to passenger cabins (it did on the two ships I'v sailed).

My oldest is 13, and on our last cruise spent the entire time onboard with a group of friends he made. Before sailing, I warned him that there are security cameras everywhere on the ship and if his new friends ever start screwing around or damaging things, he needed to leave immediately because otherwise our entire family could be thrown off the ship when the ship employees review the security footage. I would recommend that you only let your children roam the ship independently after making sure they are aware of the potential consequences and you trust. them not to get into trouble. Different cruise Iines have different policies about leaving minors onboard on port days. Some only allow it when the parents are on ship tours so the cruise lines can reach the parents. Others have no restrictions. NCL used to allow this, but it is currently banned and people who would not want to travel without this service need to choose another cruise line.

It's my understanding that these rooms are not placed into the general pool of rooms you can book online and can only be booked by calling RC. At a certain point, they are released and sometimes assigned as GTY rooms (someone once posted on the CC forums about being horrified about having the cruise line assign her one of these rooms as a gty because she didn't want to block people who really needed them.

It is possible that there was a strike or protest scheduled in advance for the second day, which would necessitate the cancellation of the overnight portion of this stop. If that is the case, it would be in NCL's best interest to announce that, since most passengers would be disappointed to learn that they lost time in port but they would understand that safety needs to be the priority. But the overnight port in Panama has had issues in the past - On the 1/27 Bliss sailing to the Panama Canal, the port stops in Nicaragua and Costa Rica were cancelled for safety reasons after final payment (which makes sense in Nicaragua but not for Costa Rica) , and replaced with Acapulco and Jamaica. The port stop in Panama was changed from a full day and overnight and replaced with 4 pm - 11 pm, knocking out shore excursions. That's the 31st comment on this thread: On this Panama Canal sailing they also lost ports: People have speculated in the past over why this happens, and some people have speculated that NCL is trying to make more money with onboard spending. That might be correct, but NCL also makes money off shore excursions so I don't really know if overall it is more profitable for NCL when the ship is in port or at sea. It is true that a ship sailing faster needs to burn more fuel, so NCL can use less fuel (which technically also helps the environment, which is what they are claiming for at least some of the cancelations) if they can sail more slowly to the following ports. Threads on this topic pop up on these boards every so often, and this was the most recent one:

We have a 13 year old, 8 year old and 5 year old. On our last NCL cruise they cancelled one port entirely and replaced it with a sea day and the morning of another and stated it was to help the environment after final payment. The food on NCL was much weaker than the other lines we've sailed. On our previous NCL cruise 13 years ago the free included food was weak, but the specialty restaurants were excellent (they were an entirely separate charge then and not included at all with the booking). On our last cruise a year ago the specialty restaurants were mostly weaker than the free food on Cunard last month, and much of the free food on RC last year. We sailed on Cunard last month, and although that isn't an ideal line for children, they did an excellent job with their kids club, and had delicious included food. We've also sailed RC postcovid, and they have a lot of amenities for children, a very strong kids club and very good food. Prior to covid, we were also very happy with Princess and Carnival. So if you are sailing primarily for itinerary I wouldn't necessarily give up on cruising.

Are there any waterparks or other kids activities you'd recommend near La Harve?

Please note that availability is not guaranteed in the nursery. In order to maximize your chances, consider sailing during the school year (many babies have older school aged siblings) and sailing on longer itineraries and itineraries that generally don't attract families. We sailed on a princess ship leaving on 1/8 and there were 9 children aboard. The previous sailing had over 100. Please also note for the future that Disney and most RC ships have fee based nurseries for babies under 3. Princess and Cunard allow children under 3 to attend the kids club with parental supervision. Cunard, P and O and Carnival allow children to attend the free drop off care at the age of 2, and other lines start at 3.

Years ago, there was talk on the boards of that RC was trying to research if they could run organized tours into mainland Haiti. And I'm one of those insane travelers who would have considered it. Sadly, it is currently too dangerous to consider. When I first sailed to Roatan nearly 20 years ago, the port felt quite dangerous. We'd booked a private tour, and they told us exactly where to walk to meet them. They told us people would pretend to be them, and to never give our name to potential tour operators. When we met them, they would read names to us until they found ours, and then we could get in the car but to never get in a vehicle until the person could give us our name. And on that first visit it felt a bit scary waking through the port to meet our tour operator. But Roatan opened a new port, sent a lot of security into the tourist areas and on our last visit felt much safer. We booked with the same tour operator and just received standard (non terrifying instructions) telling us where to meet them. The tourist parts of Cartagena were also very safe, something that was utterly unfathomable when I was a child in the 1980s. Give Haiti some time and hopefully things will become safer, but for now either stay on the ship or the beach. I'm not much of a beach person, and I travel for the ports. I wasn't thrilled about going to Labadee either, but it was a beautiful beach. There are free beach loungers and free food. You don't have to spend anything. Or you can stay on the ship. But the government of Haiti has enough problems without having to track down whoever kidnaps American tourists wandering their streets.