DaisyGoldberg

On 6/8/2024 at 1:52 PM, Nitemare said:

To be honest, I googled it.  Wasn't hard to find the official info

I had done that, but am not familiar with NYC or traffic patterns/gridlock/bottleneck points there so just knowing where the parade was didn't tell me how it would affect port area traffic. 

Good onion rings I'd regret, but not those onion rings. Literally grade school cafeteria frozen out of a bag onion rings with zero seasoning. 

8 hours ago, havoc315 said:

This. I recently had a phone call with the concierge to book dining. It ended up lasting 30 minutes as they kept suggesting things I might need.  Things I wasn’t even planning on asking. We are in a Garden Villa— the concierge went through what extra pillows for which bedroom. What mixers we need for our bar. Etc.  

Did they raise the transportation issue? I had read online that they would provide a car to take GV people home, but it was never mentioned to us when we booked the GV... then on day 3 of the cruise the Concierge asked if we wanted him to do that for us.  At that point I'd already booked somebody and didn't want to reneg, so opportunity lost.

Of course NCL might have discontinued it, but ask just in case!

58 minutes ago, princeton123211 said:

Agree with above but this is also what you are paying a professional driver for. 

I just wanted an idea of how much worse congestion might be. I had been thinking of leaving a bit later in the morning than we usually do to arrive around noon and avoid sitting in the terminal lounge for hours, but if the traffic was going to be awful, we might have needed to leave earlier.

Either way, I will sit back once I'm in that car and we are on our way!

Just the information I was looking for!  Thank you!

We will be coming in from our NJ hotel the morning of the Pride Parade. Should be plan to come extra early to avoid traffic? Expect major traffic anyway? It's always quite congested in the port area to begin with -- just wondering how much more busy it might be that day.

We'll have a car service. 

We sail with my mom out of Boston all the time. She's mobile enough that she can get by in regular rooms using a walker, but there certainly are handicapped accessible rooms available.

Others have linked to the accessibility form. Aside from alerting them to his wheelchair, they can provide other items like shower chairs/toilet seat boosters, etc. that might be helpful.

If he is not in a power chair, be sure to request boarding and disembarking assistance for ship staff to push him up the numerous ramps to board (there are elevators within the port authority building, so that isn't an issue).  Those ramps are pretty steep so assistance will be welcome.  

If you're sailing to Bermuda, I can't remember whether there's a ramp to board/disembark, but I seem to recall it being pretty level. Some of the ramps in Canadian ports are super steep, depending on tides. 

Will the captain be doing the usual photo ops in the atrium?

I've found Cagney's disappointing in recent years, but some of our family isn't keen on Le Bistro, so Moderno is a good compromise for a group of people getting tastes of different things. It's a change of pace, not fine dining. Between the large buffet and the meat selections, it's kind of an upscale buffet variety meal. 

For those who love the pineapple, we were thrilled to find it offered as a late night snack at the back of the Jewel a couple of years ago. Not sure if they still have a mini late night buffet back there, but it appears that's where they sent all the ship's evening leftovers - there were soups from that night's dinner, etc.  It was a nice stop after a show, especially if you'd had a very early dinner and just wanted a little something more before bed. 

2 hours ago, goldmom said:

 I've heard of others making special requests for the next night but it didn't work for me even though I asked in advance.

It's  dependent on the policy at a particular Haven, apparently. My sister had one cruise where she asked if it was possible to get a lava cake and they had one for her every night without her having asked. 

Next cruise (different ship) they wouldn't pre-arrange it even once, and told her to go to the dining room for it.  Really soured us on making a special request. 

On 3/11/2024 at 8:39 AM, detroitlions said:

I think folks hope the second bed can fit a adult in them. And I know I would not be getting much sleep in the couch bed or those beds that come down from the wall.

I've never tried one of the sofas or beds that flip down, but there are suites on the Dawn with Murphy beds and they're AMAZINGLY comfortable for an adult. Full thick mattress (not a cot). These rooms are up front with floor to ceiling windows. Highly recommend! Waking up to a full wall view is awesome.

My mom got amazing care on NCL Getaway - she got covid/pneumonia and after the initial workup/diagnosis we went daily for nebulizer treatments and antibiotics. The facility seemed as fully/modernly equipped as any emergency room I've ever been to. I know they had 3 doctors (because one of the nurses laughed that we'd seen all three). Seemed very well staffed. Smaller/older ships may of course have lesser facilities, though I imagine it probably has more to do with date of the most recent drydock.

Frankly, I think her initial care was far better than what she would have received in a busy ER at home with the same symptoms. That said, it's phenomenally expensive (her bill was 11K, to be paid upfront).

On a NE/Canadian cruise you'd probably only ever be a few hours from a hospital, so you should do well. 

I noticed more immediate service in the MDR (telling me there was a 15 minute wait, then scanning my card and taking me right in) this past trip with my Sapphire card than previously with my Haven card.  Other than that I attribute special treatment to being a good tipper (which might also show up on your profile, I suppose).

One exception - if you stay in the Garden Villa on a Jewel class ship they must send your photo around to the desks, because we were pulled out of line without scanning our cards and instantly escorted to a table even though there was a wait. They can only have done it by knowing what we looked like even though we hadn't yet dined there that week.  Now THAT'S a halo!

I had one on Pride of America long ago and it was okay.  The one I had on Getaway much more recently was basically cold ice milk with ice blended in.  Not worth the calories if you have decent ice cream places at home.

I hate to see that this has creeped into the Jewel class ships. It is one of my highest criticisms of the larger ships.  We certainly have stopped attending all of the games and game shows when they're not in the theatre. Apparently it's more profitable for them, however they determine that, so it will continue. But it has taken over the public areas to a very unpleasant degree. For us it ruins both the game experience AND the walking through the ship experience.

I loved my Pride of America cruise, but as others have said, it is so port intensive that I'd weigh whether I needed the Haven. (Clearly if you love it and it's not oppressively expensive to you, go for it!) As I recall everybody came back exhausted and went to bed and the evening activities were much less attended than any other cruise I'd been on.  I assume the daytime activities were similar as everybody wants to maximize every port hour. 

On the jewel sized ships I'd do a regular suite (non-Haven). You still get the dedicated dining for breakfast and lunch in Moderno/Cagneys, just not the access to the lounge. On a NE/Canadian itinerary, one factor to consider would be how much you're getting off the ship. If you anticipate wanting to stretch out on a lounge chair or get in a hot tub inside, the haven may be worth it to you. If you're getting off at every port and anticipate participating in many ship activities during the day, it may not be worth it.

Just got off the Getaway for the second time this year and I can't wait to sail again on a Jewel class ship, as the activities are so much more enjoyable and accessible since they're held in the theatre and not the atrium. It makes us FAR more social to have that kind of breathing room to enjoy it.  I do enjoy the dedicated dining room on the big ships, but I think the tradeoff of the rest of the ship design/overcrowding/weird insistence on scheduling everything in the atrium has put me off them.

Re; first class discussion up above, just as Gary introduced Haven lite, I highly endorse "first class/business light" where you buy an extra ticket in coach. If you're alone, it gives you all the elbow/wiggle room you want. If you're a couple, book the middle seat as well. For a few hundred dollars on a flight it's far cheaper than first class but still a relief to know that nobody in that line of boarding people is going to squeeze in beside you. 

I've brought my own syrup and never been questioned!

For the record, I'm not stuffing creme brulee in a ziploc.  But I got in the habit years ago of carrying a small baggie on me (great for getting ice on the way back to a hotel room, etc) and if I had it on me and wanted to go back to my room with the second half of my sandwich from O'Sheehans, yeah, I'd use it 🙂

On 11/4/2023 at 9:57 AM, mking8288 said:

We have never been fans of NCL holding those "live" events with folding chairs for a big crowd to gather, overcrowding and standing room only ... #couch #cough with all that invisible airborne stuff.  

They have multiple theatres, yet put the most popular crowd pleasing activities smack in the middle of the most traveled area of the ship, limiting the # of people who can enjoy them. It is a giant flaw of the big ships and I still cannot understand their logic. 

Depending on the dessert, a ziplock bag will do the trick...

Your bill also displays on your room tv (in newer ships, anyway). There is a little lag time, but it will usually be current within a day. So you can watch it and take pictures if you want to see things itemized as you go.

Thank you - precisely the information I was looking for!  Will book the car service and find them when the time comes!

Very timely as I was flirting with the idea of not doing the usual car service next month and just grabbing a taxi, because the hassle of finding our driver last time was considerable.

But I'm going over to NJ, which I assume could be an issue (or lead to a ripoff of some sort?)  

I've always had one in my cabin (usually under sink in bathroom. though I've seen them on the counter or a shelf as well)