amor1964

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Here is the letter that we received. It was an attachment in an email from NCL Concierge desk. We received on 12/23 for a 1/4 sailing. I do know that if you get anxious, you can email the address on the second page.

Thank you so much for your post! We just booked our first suite on the Dawn and you have answered so many of my questions.

 

Does that coffee machine make hot chocolate? We do not drink coffee.

The Lavazza machine does not make hot chocolate that I am aware of, unless there are pods available for that. You could dispense hot water into a cup with mix powder. Or maybe use the frother to heat a cup of milk. Also I noticed a hot milk dispenser at the buffet each morning. Enjoy!

Thank you SOOOO much for posting this!! You sound like our kind of people, low maintenance, get-it-yourself kind of people.

 

My husband and I booked a suite for our 10 year anniversary to Alaska this coming May. It will be our first time in a suite and I have been searching for anything and everything about the perks of a suite. I read about having a concierge and a butler and I thought to myself "what am I possibly going to ask them to do". I had read about the butlers unpacking your suitcases for you and that kinda creeped me out. And then I was worried about asking for all sorts of things and sounding like a little diva princess. Your post has put me at ease a little bit about asking for the things I want. And you've made me excited about the coffee machine in the room!

 

Thank you again. I'm so glad you had a great experience. I hope we have one similar to yours.

I am so happy to see your reply! My ramble was meant to be sort of a beginners guide. Glad you saw it as such. You will have an unbelievable week!

Great review of NCL suite services. When I first saw the thread for some reason I was prepared for some disappointment. But glad that was not the point. Everything seemed to work seamlessly. It was textbook example of how things should work. NCL must feel good reading your review.

I agree with you that some of the suite experience is tiny details. But sometimes when all those tiny things add up, it does create a better cruising experience.

Glad you had a great time!

This is exactly how we feel. After our first NCL cruise we agreed that it was the total of all of the little things that made it so great. And once again with the suite life...the total of all of the little things. We could not have asked for a better week.

Thank you for your post, we are going to be in an 2 bdrm family suite on the Dawn in a couple of years. This will be our third suite and our 5th cruise on NCL. Last time we were in an SF Aft suite - the three of us were a bit tight - but a mini or a balcony would be way worse. We too are looking forward to the extra bdrm and living room.

With 2 in the California king, 2 on pull out sofa, and 1 in murphy bed we were not cramped. Even with all pulled out there was plenty of room to move around.

Thanks for the views on your suite. Great timing. I booked an aft balcony on the epic for my wife and I last spring. We are now only 2 weeks away and decided to take my son with and move to a 2 bed room suite in the Haven. I just booked it after reading your post. This will be our first cruise in a suite and like you I'm unsure how many of the perks we will really use.

 

Live and learn. You really never know until you experience it first hand.

That is great! You will have a wonderful time. Enjoy!

Thanks so much for the comments! This was an SJ (no balcony) with the wall of windows. I was a bit concerned about missing the balcony, but found it to be true what I had read.....did not miss it at all. Yes we were on deck 12 (12512) and the pool deck was a 30 second walk.

I should have said this in closing: It was absolutely worth it! For what the 5 in the suite cost, there was no decision to be made. Especially relative to the balcony cost for the 2 older boys. Coupled with a very nice OBC. Of course we all know how these fares fluctuate for time of year, to itinerary, to ship, and so on. For us on this cruise it was worth every penny. We expect to pay more next time, and now we have a benchmark of the value of a suite. At this stage in our lives (with 4 in college and 1 close) there IS a point in our minds of "being worth it" We will sail in a suite again, and we will gladly pay for all of the extras.

The coffee/cappuccino/espresso produced from the machine is fantastic. And the coffee at Cagney's in the morning was some of the best coffee ever. Enjoy!!

Last week we were on the Dawn out of New Orleans, Western Caribbean. We are a family of seven, and enjoyed a Family Suite (5 of us) and a balcony (2 older boys) I had read many posts here regarding "the suite life" and I wanted to post our thoughts on the subject as first timers. We are very easy going people, and in general require no extra “maintenance.” This is not a trip review, ship review, praise, or bashing. I realize that many folks here have a history in suites, this is just our take on it. Your mileage may vary!:)

Honestly, the amenities were not something that I thought would be a big deal. We did not book the suite for the perks, but mostly for the suite itself. The size of the living area, and size of the bathroom. So with that in mind, here's my thoughts on the perks, and how they applied to us.

Priority luggage tags mailed to us: Nice not to have to print tags. Luggage arrived outside door at 3:00. So did the rest of the entire hallway. We just need our bags before dinner, so no big deal for us.

Pre cruise letter from NCL office listing items/services available by request. Such as pillow menu, coffee/tea preference etc. We asked for 2 extra temperature control pillows, no decaf coffee, empty fridge, half/half, and milk. A nice touch, all requests were completed.

Cruise day: "Greeter" in terminal saw that we were suite guests (she assumed all 7 of us) and walked us to a check-in agent ahead of the line. I told the agent that the boys were not in our suite, and she said no problem!, we can all check-in together. After completing that, she walked all of us to the VIP lounge to enjoy coffee, juice, and pastries. Within 2 minutes our Concierge introduced herself, gave us our envelopes regarding Captain's cocktail party and Cagney's breakfast/lunch info. A butler escorted (all of us) onto the ship, and to our cabin. All things that we asked for in the pre cruise letter were done perfectly. Also there were beautiful fresh flowers, and a fruit bowl with bananas, grapes, apples, and pears. Not something by themselves to sway us to a suite in the future, but certainly contributors to the experience as a whole. So, the boys in the balcony made it through all stops right along with us. From entering the terminal to being in our cabin was 15-20 minutes. The above pre cruise and cruise day amenities were fantastic. Definitely worth considering when we book our next cruise.

Embarkation day lunch in Cagney's: This one I had read and read about. How much folks look forward to this. Here's where (expectedly & understandably) the boys must go their own way. Lunch and service was excellent, but we never again utilized Cagney's for lunch. 4 port days made that tough. While on the subject of Cagney's, much to our surprise, breakfast each morning there was a real treat. Excellent, excellent. The food, the service, and the quietness away from the buffet. Very surprised as to how much this perk was enjoyed by us. Over the course of the week, this one may have meant more to us than any other suite amenity.

Concierge: As mentioned earlier, she introduced herself to us in the VIP waiting area. From that point on she knew us by name. She was at Cagney’s each morn to greet us, and walk us to a table. We (the 5 in the suite) never all ate together in Cagney’s, so one morning the boys joined us which was not a problem at all. I guess she just looked at the total we showed up with. We were not quite sure how she would be able to help us during the week, but she did do a great job when we did ask. We booked a shore excursion through her, and 3 dinners. We were 7 for dinner and availability according to the reservation screen was no obstacle. Our dining time requests were “No problem at all. Enjoy.” She also was the host at the Captain’s cocktail party, and greeted arriving guest to stagger their entry so all had adequate time with the Captain. She also conducted a disembarkation briefing for suite guests where she explained the options, and handed out priority tags. We now understand that the Concierge is THE go-to person while in a suite. As a side note: we had a plumbing issue for which I dialed reception. 15 minutes later she knocked on our door. She wanted to personally see if our issue was resolved. Obviously someone had made her aware.

Butler: I read as much as I could here beforehand, as I felt that this would be the biggest “difference.” As I mentioned earlier, a butler did walk us onboard, but not our butler. We met our butler within minutes of being in our cabin, before Cagney’s lunch. As expected, he showed us how to use the Lavazza machine. Gave us his card and pointed out the portable phone which we could carry around the ship to always reach him. He asked if we preferred any certain fruit, types of cookies, or sandwiches. Then directed us to Cagney’s and told us that he would see us later. Upon returning to cabin later, he had moved our luggage inside, and there chocolate strawberries, cookies, and finger sandwiches. We called on him for in-suite breakfast one morning. The night before we simply told him all that we wanted (not ordering from any type of menu) and it was served by him exactly on-time, and hot. He even made our coffees that morning. A word about the Lavazza machine…INCREDIBLE. This was one of our “no big deal” items before the cruise. Wrong. BIG deal for us! Outstanding coffee. Back to our butler: each afternoon he delivered the cookies, sandwiches, and some other special items that would be “Compliments of…….” He quickly noticed which sandwiches we preferred, which cookies, and which fruits. For the rest of the week our treats were adjusted accordingly. We asked for dvd movies twice, and an evening snack once. He “caught” me going to the buffet to get more milk to use in our machine, and from that point on we had a pitcher of milk in our fridge, and a small pitcher of half & half. He checked on us often and was a terrific person. All in all, we’re still a bit uncomfortable asking someone to do something that we can do ourselves. But we’re not willing to give up the afternoon treats! We enjoyed getting to know him as a person, more so than using him as a butler. He became family.

I thought long and hard about whether to add this part to this post, I hope that someone will find it beneficial (remember, your mileage may vary": His $300 tip was based on the week as a whole and what we had asked of him. Not X days times X people, etc. I don’t feel that we asked much at all, and very comfortable about the fairness. He was genuinely thrilled.

Misc perks: At our tender port we did an NCL excursion, so our priority tender tickets went unused. They were delivered the night before with a letter from the Concierge explaining that she would escort us to tender at whatever time we needed. Theatre: we prefer to sit in the center, so using the side balconies as suite guests was not for us. Note..there have been posts regarding what level of suites gains you access to balconies. On the Dawn, the reserved balconies are for ALL level of suites. Also we LOVED the “premium” toiletries, bath salts, cotton balls, and slippers. More small things that contributed.

Disembarkation: We used easy walk off so we did not use priority with Concierge. I do know that she was meeting guest in the lounge and personally walking them to the last card swipe station. No need to wait for a certain color luggage tag.

I’m sure that I have left out some things, and probably wrote more than needed. I just wanted to post something that I would have wanted to read as a first timer.

So, as a whole, we could go back to a mini suite or balcony if we had to, but mostly we would miss the super swift embarkation. Certainly miss Cagney’s breakfast, and the Lavazza machine. But as originally thought, the suite itself was by far the best perk. Simply the sq footage. For us, all of the other perks are “supporting actors” to the main star, the suite itself.

Thanks for reading!

From last week. Mail left in our suite the day before.

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Just off the Dawn. Yep..no popcorn at Pearly Kings like Red Lion on the Star

Was on the Dawn last week. Can confirm that the Dailies, and A Look At Your Week posted above are spot on. There are some minor differences, but very close to identical.

This is who is listed in the Freestyle Daily from 12/7 Dawn cruise.

http://www.twiceasniceentertainment.com/bio.html

Thanks for taking the time to do this. It's a refreshing change from those that take time to post mostly negative. 6 days and counting for us, and I had already assumed that I would not find the missing elevator button(s), piece of tape holding a light fixture somewhere, a run in a section of carpeting...somewhere. I probably would not even notice the few light bulbs that are out from the hundreds lit. Guess I'm too busy enjoying all of the great positives:D We did a Carnival Conquest trip last year and I confirmed very quickly my appreciation for NCL. And that's without me being the type that LOOKS for the negatives!

But the two booked in the balcony won't get suite benefits.

Of course, we are aware of that. More interested in square footage, not benefits. And it's an easy pill to swallow when presented with no other options for 6.

love2relax, here's one for ya: Our PCC has insisted to no end that our suite (12512) on the Dawn next week can only accommodate 4 (as opposed to 6) Because of that we also booked a balcony since we are 6. There is a youtube video showing this family suite where one can clearly see the bed, pull out sofa, AND the murphy bed that all at NCL say does not exist. No worries..it'll all be fine. If the suite is as pictured, The balcony cabin will be our baggage storage:D

Sent email to Concierge 1 week ago, no response. Re-sent today, waiting. Good idea regarding contacting PCC, however I'm waiting on him to reply/call back also! PCC calls regularly though when we don't have a cruise booked. HA!:D

No worries...

rvsullivan is spot-on correct! Well answered!

Thanks so much for taking the time to provide these! Not able to read the posted pics, tried saving and enlarging, still can't do it. There was nothing in email inbox so I double checked my email address listed in the original request and it is correct.

Maybe someone that did receive the emailed ones can send to me?

Thank for any help!

amor1964@aol.com

Thank you so much for doing this! We're close enough now to start planning our onboard days. Please send to: amor1964@aol.com. Happy Holidays!

Hope that you had a great time. Did you manage to save some dailies? We're 2+ weeks.

This past November, they charged a 15% "alcohol tax" to our bar tab. Was told that they MUST collect this. Looking at our receipt now, the very last entry, written as alcohol tax.

If anyone is interested I uploaded several pictures of LFK. There was someone on another thread that wanted to see "real" pics instead of travel site pics.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/92777693@N04/sets/72157632658618166/

Just tell the driver that picks you up at the port (most likely the same driver that will return you) what time you want to be picked up at Frenchy's 44. They will pick up whenever you request. We were picked up early and our driver took us to a few shops outside of the port area. Lower prices and negotiable.

We did a lot of research on LFK, and thankfully booked at the $65 rate earlier this year. During this past summer when package descriptions and rates were changing quite often, we knew there would be some hiccups once we had our day. Again, bring your email! Here are some of our observations for those that want to compare to older posts, and future posts. It really is an incredibly beautiful place, water was pristine on our day. Dave was not at the port when we disembarked. Confusion there finding the LFK rep/driver. We were dropped off at Frenchy's 44 and it felt a bit awkward sitting around there since no one greeted us and we were kind of in the dark on what happens next. Same when we arrived the key, not much (really none) communication on how things work, when lunch is served, etc. We did notice others going over their email with a staff member and I assume it was to point out how many/what kind of drinks were included in their package. The lunch was outstanding. The staff very attentive if you were looking for a drink, not so much if you were looking for another float chair or mask setup. The music too loud and a little too hip hop for us, but music is very subjective. The rains came when we were loading up on the boat back to Frenchy's, we were backing out when the bartender came running and confronted 2 guest. Realized that he deducted the cost of 2 beers from their total tab, when in fact their package included no free drinks. We had to wait for the guest to go back and settle up. Don't forget that they add a 15% alcohol tax! We enjoyed our day there with approx 20 people. I don't know if we would have enjoyed it with more than that. As I said, we paid $65 each, and I suppose it was worth it, but I know that we would not return at today's rate.

Our overall opinion is this: Beautiful, Shaky communication, needs to be more guest friendly, now overpriced.

Yep, make sure that you bring a copy of all emails. Glad we did a few weeks ago. We had booked a long time ago at the rate of $65 per person. I must have been asked for that confirmation paper 4 times by 4 different people. The rate was honored, but it wasn't easy. Paid cash at LFK before leaving, no change available, they called Frenchy's 44 to let them know that I would be collecting change there. Not a soul knew anything about the phone call. Again went through 3 people until the owner produced the change from his pocket based on my word. 2 ships in port day, about 20 total people including a few that were vacationing on Roatan and paid day rates. The food is very very good, and the folks friendly enough. It really is a beautiful place, and would love to go back, but at the current (rising) rates we would probably not return unless it was AI.