djaycruiser

on my last cruise. I was in a handicapped room and spent a good portion of the cruise resting in bed or out on a lounge on the balcony. My cabin steward was wonderful and looked out for e the whole 7 days. He brought extra pillows, blankets and checked up on me when my cabinmates were off the ship. I gave him $70 for the week and felt that even that didnt compensate for his caring.

Has anyone traversed the cobblestone streets of old san juan with a scooter? Is it possible? TIA :)

great job! loved it.

Piggy-backing on the thread, has anyone had any experience with the "set" boarding times on BA? We're going to be cruising with an 18 mo old, so ideally we'd like to get on as early as possible to get him situated while also minimizing our wait time.

 

We selected 9:30-10am and we're curious as to how close to that time period we'd likely actually board. If it looks like we're going to have to stand/sit around for a while, we'll probably just change to a later (but less crowded) time.

most likely you will board between 1130 or 1200:)

thank you

Which restaurant is open on the gem for embarkation lunch besides the buffet?

I got a one day pass while in port on the breakaway and it was 45.00. I spent the whole day there and got my moneys worth! There was never more than 10 people there. I did notice that the spa pass is a different price on each ship due to different amenities available. The newer ships have things such as salt rooms etc that the older ships do not. Hence, the difference in price:)

I noticed the excursions on my upcoming cruise went from 89 down to 60 overnight with only 1 excursion offered for San Juan. Since I have a 75.00 credit promotion due me, this stinks. The rep from shorex assured me that as the cruise gets closer more will be offered. Hope he is right. :confused:

Great Itinerary but be aware that Sept/Oct. are prime hurricane season. 6 years ago we were diverted, missed Halifax. Wound up sitting in New York Harbor for over 24 hours though we docked and were allowed to go ashore in manhatten for the day as long as we came back to the ship for overnight. Meanwhile, the hurricane turned away from the coast and never affected us. Oh, well, better safe than sorry

Thank you for the fantastic review this past week. I was reliving my cruise from 5/14. Now cant wait til 3/16 on the gem. Thanks again

If anyone who is going soon can get pictures of the new menus, please post. Thanks :)

I thought I had read somewhere that new MDR menus were being instituted by the entire fleet by August 1, 2015. I know that they were changed last year so I was surprised to read that.

Has anyone noticed a change? And if so, anyone have any pictures of the new menus? Just curious. Thanks in advance.

I use a cane at times (depends what is acting up and where it's acting up at!).

If I decide to board with the other handicapped (or handicapable as I like to call myself!), it looks like we are boarding group 3 according to what I have read here. Can anyone confirm that?

 

I would really like to experience Vibe. Since there are only a number of passes, I'll have to get to guest services as soon as I am capable of.

 

Do handicapped board in exactly the same area on the ship as non-handicapped do? Or do they board further away from the guest services area?

 

Thanks

Last May I boarded with the handicapped group and we used the rear gangway area whereas the suite group used the forward gangway. So you will have to head toward the middle to get to guest services. Iam not sure which floor it is on

This policy doesn't currently effect me now, but it would have for the last five years. My dearly departed Jinglette suffered from chronic health problems and cruising was the only vacation option that worked for us. Breakfast was delivered by room service, lunch was delivered by me from the buffet. Both enjoyed on the balcony. Every other evening we enjoyed a good meal in one of the restaurants.

 

The room and the balcony watching the ocean were her vacation. I know it doesn't sound like much of a holiday to most of you, but it was for her. That my friends was what she was able to handle.

 

Many of the changes that NCL has made in the last few months would have effected her vacation to the point where we would have left NCL. I know we weren't the only people who used NCL in a similar manner. I've met many. So you can say it doesn't effect "me", but it might someday.

 

I'm sure I'll be flamed from bring such a frail lady onto a cruise ship. Jinglette knew she was dying and doing it on a cruise ship would have been ideal for her. My guess is NCL doesn't mind getting rid of people like her.

 

As I see it, "Freestyle" is dying before my eyes. Not a big deal in the overall picture, but annoying none the less. Nothing stays the same!

 

Jingle

I too suffer from health problems that cause me to spend about 50% of my time in my cabin or on my balcony. Last year room service was my savior during my cruise. I love to just lie back and watch the world go by and smell the sea air. I will no longer be able to do this without incurring large charges for room service and limited options. I feel that with this change. NCL has discriminated against people with disabilities, families with special needs children etc and has not thought through the repercussions of their actions. I will not be cruising with NCL this year for sure.

Maybe the next promo to be rolled out will be unlimited room service (URS),;)

I know I wont be cruising anytime soon. I have limited mobility and weakness and usually spend a lot of time on my balcony due to being tired and have used room service quite a bit when i cant make it to the venues. At almost $10. a pop I could rack up quite a charge by the end of a cruise. URS would be perfect for me.:)

Attend the meet and greet and speak to the food and beverage officer. I spoke to mine during my last cruise and inquired about the cold fruit soups and voila , he had them made twice for me during the cruise.

to Motleyfan: hope you never become handicapped. some people cant just get out all the time but still want to enjoy the sea air i spend a lot of time in my room as I dont have the strength to go go go all day so room service was my savior. guess after 15 years of cruising I should just crawl in a hole and give up what I enjoy

Lobster night is the first full sea day (monday on the breakaway)at the buffet. Hint: go toward the back of buffet lots of seating and not as crowded.:)

Wednesday-In Bermuda

This time the ship docked with port side at dock area. I was on starboard so had view of harbor. Very relaxing. Back to Savor for breakfast. Brief rain storm occurred while eating. I went back to cabin for a bit of balcony time while rest of group took ferry to Hamilton. I went to lunch at buffet and had more cold fruit soup (Peach). Yum. Went back to room for a rest til dinner. After the group returned, DS called me and said dinner at 7 and said there was a surprise for me. Huh? It seems that the night before when I wasnt feeling well, they had served my favorite, Rack of Lamb and the group didnt want to tell me. My DS spoke with the Maitre'D at Savor who connected her with the head chef and spoke with him about this and Low and Behold! He said he would make it special for me. They gave me three exquisite chops with crusted herbs. To die for!! Once again, so grateful and felt like a queen.

Walked around ship for awhile til the group went to see Rock of ages. I then retired to my room for the night for the busy day ahead.

s

Tuesday: At sea. Another fairly low key day for me. Breakfast at Taste, loved the waffles with banana compote. Did a little ship exploring went to casino for an hour or so. Lost a little $$. But had fun. A bit smoky in there. Then went to lunch at the buffet. Loved the happy happy washy washy staff! Got some cold fruit soup made especially for me. (Strawberry) Thanks, Norwegian. Went back to room and laid out on lounge and read. By the way, Spa sent down some small bottles of Elemis products as a thank you for using their services. Unbelievable.

Was too tired to go to dinner. Ordered a BLT from room service. Very good.

The rest of the group went to Second City and thought it was great.

Also, my room steward checked in with me to make sure I was ok and brought me extra blankets and some bathrobes for us. Queen, I tell you!:D

Ok time for me to go to MD I will try to finish up later. Thanks for all the comments and prayers.

I just heard that the sailing that the Breakaway is currently on will be Dan the Man's last before he goes on vacation. Julie will replace him as CD.

 

Does anyone know if this is true?

yes, I spoke to Dan the man and he is now on vacation for 4 months and Julie is back as cruise director on the Breakaway and Alvin is her asst.

Ok MD changed appt til later

Monday: At sea. Woke up early to room service at door. He came in dancing and singing and saying happy happy What a pleasant way to wake up. His name is Santi and if you get him, you will love him. Never found him again the rest of the cruise.:( After coffee, we all went down for a tour of the spa just to see what it was all about and we wound up booking a head to toe massage, facial etc for 75 minutes for that afternoon. Then we went to breakfast at Savor and met our waiter Amos Soriano who was par excellent. He is one of the older staff who has been with NCL 23 years and treats you like royalty. After eating we walked around for a bit, the rest of my group checked out the shops and I went back to my room til the meet and mingle at 11. Arrived at the M&M a bit late and had to sit in the side room and really couldnt hear or see what was going on. At the end, though, I approached Prem, the hotel director with a question about cold fruit soup. I just wanted to know if it was available on the ship at any time. The next thing I knew, Prem called over the food director. Mr. Sawant and they arranged to have cold fresh soup whenever I wanted. I arranged for the next day at the Buffet and poof it was done. I felt like a queen! Never expected it.

The rest of my group went on the cabin crawl and I went back to my cabin. My room steward had delivered the lounge and I laid out in the sun til my group came back. After lunch at the buffet, it was time for our massages. Oh, talk about being treated like a queen! Well worth the 175 with tax and gratuity.

Earlier in the day, my DS had checked out the excursions and wanted to take the Bermuda Island Tour which is a 5 hour tour of the entire island. Since I couldnt walk to the bus, she inquired about handicapped accessibility and since the handicapped bus was totally full, the staff went above and beyond to contact the tour company and see if they could stow away my folding wheelchair. Since they had to wait for a response, they told us to book it and if it wasnt possible they would refund all our monies.

That night at dinner, the excursion staff tracked us down and let us know that all had been arranged! What service! By the way, the next day, they had canapes delivered to our rooms to say thank you for using them.:):)

After dinner, we went to see BURN THE FLOOR at 9:30 pm. Very nice, but kind of long and since I was tired, I left a few minutes early.

Thus concludes day 2. More to follow

Wow! Best cruise ever. I will start off with a bit of history. This is my sixth cruise with NCL. In the past I have been very interactive with the cruise staff and gotten to know a great many of them. This time was a bit different. Iam now temporarily disabled due to chemo treatments and very weak and get tired easily, so I had to pick and choose carefully what I could do with plenty of rest time in between. I brought with me my DD, DS, DSIL and BF. Me and my SIL had cabin 12886 (handicapped balcony) which was huge and fit both my wheelchair and scooter with plenty of room.

Though we were delayed getting on the ship, NCL handled it beautifully, keeping us updated often. Everyone around us kept their good humor which helped.

We started boarding around 1:50 pm and we were the second group to board after the haven guests. We dropped off our bags since the rooms were ready and went to savor for lunch. They extended the lunch time due to the delay and I felt sorry for the staff as lunch melded right into dinner with little down time for that day.

We went back to the cabin and there I met Ronald, my room steward. Fabulous guy. I asked for the frig to be emptied, some extra pillows and if possible, a lounge for the balcony. This to be done whenever he had time. My balcony was 2x the length of a regular balcony so I asked if a lounge would fit and he said yes, so I was a happy camper.

I then rested til dinner while the rest of my party went exploring. That night we all went to Taste for dinner and had a very pleasant meal there.

More to follow later. Have to go off to MD.

Here's a link to 7 days worth;

 

http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-getaway-menus.html

 

 

Rochelle

Thank you so much. Going in 5 days. Whoopee!!:D

WTG Great job!!:):):)