First time on NCL and have some questions

[katcas]

Hi all,

We are just in the planning stages of going to Bermuda out of Boston next year on the Dawn. We have sailed Carnival twice with my family over Thanksgiving. There were 14 of us and the price was right. I am now excited to try NCL.

I am confused about the categories. I have a family of 5, 3 teenage boys ages 18, 16 and 15 at the time of the cruise. We are traveling with a family of 4 and possible one other family of 4. I have been designated to to the research:)

I guess my questions would be

1. What floor is best so as not to hear too much noise. I am a very light sleeper.

2. I was thinking of a balcony room for me and my husband and an inside room for them ( maybe a balcony for them too, not sure.) What would be the best area for this or the best rooms that anyone has stayed in.

3. What do the abbreviations for the categories stand for? I hate to sound like an idiot as Carnival had these too but I always found that confusing too!

Thanks so much. I am sure I will have a lot of questions in the future.

Kathy

[cathhduh]

Hi all,

We are just in the planning stages of going to Bermuda out of Boston next year on the Dawn. We have sailed Carnival twice with my family over Thanksgiving. There were 14 of us and the price was right. I am now excited to try NCL.

I am confused about the categories. I have a family of 5, 3 teenage boys ages 18, 16 and 15 at the time of the cruise. We are traveling with a family of 4 and possible one other family of 4. I have been designated to to the research:)

I guess my questions would be

1. What floor is best so as not to hear too much noise. I am a very light sleeper.

2. I was thinking of a balcony room for me and my husband and an inside room for them ( maybe a balcony for them too, not sure.) What would be the best area for this or the best rooms that anyone has stayed in.

3. What do the abbreviations for the categories stand for? I hate to sound like an idiot as Carnival had these too but I always found that confusing too!

Thanks so much. I am sure I will have a lot of questions in the future.

Kathy

 

it all can be very confusing, which is why my hands me the credit card, has me make the payments and book the rooms, she gets way to overwhelmed.

 

1. the dawn is an excellent boat, i was on deck 8 last summer, where there is some public room space, but you are under deck nine which is strictly cabins, i think that is key when booking a room, just make sure you are under cabins and not public space!

 

2. on the dawn this past year, i stayed in an inside cabin, and my aunt and grandmother got a outside cabin, their room was a little bigger, with a little more storage, this year our whole family will be in outside cabins! i was fine with the inside (im 20 years old) there was three teenage (13, 18, and 19[myself]) in our inside cabin and we never felt cramped, so if that helps i think your teens will be fine:) but this year im also rooming with my grandmother and she demanded at window.

 

3. we got a free upgrade it says we were upgraded from i(something) to o(something) so the "i" meaning inside and then the letter after "i" would be the specifications that i dont know what it means, dont bother to know, and the "o" means outside! but when you are booking it will make it very clear, i didnt worry about the letters when booking, just happened to notice that when making our payment.

 

 

happy cruising! you will love the dawn, and bermuda!

[NJfoodie]

I don't remember all the letter designations for the cabin categories anymore, and they changed them up from when we were on the Dawn a few years ago to split the categories even more. Generally speaking on any ship, you want to aim for a deck that only has other staterooms above and below, no public areas. I'm thinking deck 10 is usually a good choice for that reason and there are plenty of balconies. There are inside rooms across the hall to keep your family together if you decide to put the kids in an inside. Something I noticed last year on our Carnival cruise in terms of room location, while we usually aim for midship to have the least amount of motion and be close to activities, we did our first aft balcony and the hallway traffic was virtually nonexistent. We still were not in a good spot (directly above the karaoke bar, THAT was a mistake at night!), but during the day it was extremely quiet. Only our neighbors would be using the very back of the hallway, no one else come this far back on the ship. Plus we got an extra large balcony and a beautiful view! One of these on a better deck would probably be ideal for peace and quiet.

[Dayenu]

Check what is above and below you, how much noice can come from them. I remember once being under a restaurant, we heard them cleaning at night - didn't bother us, but if you are a light sleeper, who knows.

[che5904]

Categories

(first letter)

S = suite

M = mini-suite (not to be confused with a suite, mini’s do not get suite perks)

B = balcony

O = oceanview

I = inside

(second letter or number)

The second letter or number is only an indication of where on the ship it is for pricing reasons. Except for the letter “X” and I believe that means a GTY.

The legend at the bottom of the deck plans tells you specifics (disabled, connecting etc)

As suggested look at the decks above and below. Your quietest IMO is cabins above and below. Our favorite deck is 10 for a couple of reasons 9 & 11 are cabins. Also we do the stairs instead of the elevator most time and 10 gives about center for the pool deck and the venues on deck 7. We had friends that were in a balcony on the Pearl on deck 9 and thought it was great as well.

You may want to check out the family suite which holds 5 and sometimes can be a good price if NCL has a deal on 3rd and 4th passengers that they sometimes run.

I will no likely get flamed for this but just so you are aware of NCL’s policy regarding children under 21 in a cabin by themselves.

“Company policy dictates that a passenger under 21 years of age must be accompanied in the same or connecting stateroom by a passenger 21 years of age or older at the time of embarkation.”

BTW the Dawn was our first cruise and we loved it, it hooked us on cruising

[flashdog_1]

Check what is above and below you, how much noice can come from them. I remember once being under a restaurant, we heard them cleaning at night - didn't bother us, but if you are a light sleeper, who knows.

 

A light sleeper like me was awake at 4 when they started moving furniture around outside the buffet on the pool deck. Never again.

[monicajay]

Some inside cabins on the Dawn are a 'sideways' set-up. These cabins feel slightly bigger as they don't start out with a hall. We liked deck 9 right near the stairwell. This way it is 2 floors down to the dining room, 2 floors up to the fitness center and 3 floors up to the buffet. We rarely needed to use elevators.

 

Deck 9 has you sandwiched with cabins above and cabins below so it is pretty quiet. To get an idea of what I'm suggesting, you could take 9710 and the kids could be across the hall in 9715. There are other possibilities that would be similar to this.

 

If they won't let you book 3 teens together, put one of you in with them and one teen with you. Once on board they don't care who sleeps where.

 

Hope this helps.

[sparks1093]

NCL has a policy where a parent must be booked into the room with the kids. Once you are onboard you may obtain a copy of the cabin they are in and then put people where you want them. If you don't want a $400 bill from the arcade you can turn the charging privileges off for the children's cards.

[negn]

A balcony is great for Bermuda as you have all that time in port to enjoy it, may be wasted on the boys. I would not book below the late night venues but other wise have never had problems with noise. Dont book a guarantee if you want to be close to the rest of your party. You may end up all over the ship

[katcas]

Thanks everyone. I am aware of them having to be 21 to stay in the room alone. We booked an adult in each room on Carnival and just switched it around once on board. I am curious about the Bermuda trip since the drinking age is 18, and when I was looking into pricing and rooms, it states a child up to age 17. So for the Bermuda cruise, could an 18 year old stay in the room as an adult?

[spunkyhungry]

Thanks everyone. I am aware of them having to be 21 to stay in the room alone. We booked an adult in each room on Carnival and just switched it around once on board. I am curious about the Bermuda trip since the drinking age is 18, and when I was looking into pricing and rooms, it states a child up to age 17. So for the Bermuda cruise, could an 18 year old stay in the room as an adult?

 

I'm not sure if NCL works the same way, but one time while sailing Princess I was 19, and my brother was 15, and we were assigned our own room. Why not just call and ask?

[cathhduh]

Thanks everyone. I am aware of them having to be 21 to stay in the room alone. We booked an adult in each room on Carnival and just switched it around once on board. I am curious about the Bermuda trip since the drinking age is 18, and when I was looking into pricing and rooms, it states a child up to age 17. So for the Bermuda cruise, could an 18 year old stay in the room as an adult?

 

i believe they allow it with adjoining rooms!

[katcas]

Ok, another question. What are the suite perks? Never heard of this before and I keep seeing people talking about it.

[cathhduh]

Ok, another question. What are the suite perks? Never heard of this before and I keep seeing people talking about it.

 

suite perks are exactly what is sounds like! perks of booking/staying in a suite!

 

never have sailed in a suite before so i cant give you details though:)

[monicajay]

Ok, another question. What are the suite perks? Never heard of this before and I keep seeing people talking about it.

 

Haven't stayed in a suite either but perks include such things as priority boarding and disembarking. Concierge and butler service. Breakfast and Lunch at Cagney's. Special seating in theater.

 

Also, if you get one of the new forward suites (deck 12) on the Star and eventually on the Dawn that used to be the Spinnaker lounge, you have a very modern cabin with huge glass windows.

 

I'm sure there is more but this will help you get the idea. Be careful though, this does not apply to mini-suites.

[che5904]

Ok, another question. What are the suite perks? Never heard of this before and I keep seeing people talking about it.

 

 

Here ya go

 

http://www2.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/freestyle-accommodations/suites-and-penthouses

[flashdog_1]

Some inside cabins on the Dawn are a 'sideways' set-up. These cabins feel slightly bigger as they don't start out with a hall. We liked deck 9 right near the stairwell. This way it is 2 floors down to the dining room, 2 floors up to the fitness center and 3 floors up to the buffet. We rarely needed to use elevators.

 

Deck 9 has you sandwiched with cabins above and cabins below so it is pretty quiet. To get an idea of what I'm suggesting, you could take 9710 and the kids could be across the hall in 9715. There are other possibilities that would be similar to this.

 

If they won't let you book 3 teens together, put one of you in with them and one teen with you. Once on board they don't care who sleeps where.

 

Hope this helps.

 

We must have been in the same cabin. Very convenient.

[AttilaTheFun]

Thanks everyone. I am aware of them having to be 21 to stay in the room alone. We booked an adult in each room on Carnival and just switched it around once on board. I am curious about the Bermuda trip since the drinking age is 18, and when I was looking into pricing and rooms, it states a child up to age 17. So for the Bermuda cruise, could an 18 year old stay in the room as an adult?

 

No, for all the cruises it still needs to be someone over 21. In the booking path of NCL, if you enter the ages of people in a stateroom when searching and they're all 21, it won't be allowed - says "At least one adult age 21 or older is required."

 

The policy you're referring to is a lower drinking age because of the region you're sailing to. I think a parent's signed consent is still required for 18-20 year olds to allow them to drink onboard.

[emcelh]

No, for all the cruises it still needs to be someone over 21. In the booking path of NCL, if you enter the ages of people in a stateroom when searching and they're all 21, it won't be allowed - says "At least one adult age 21 or older is required."

 

The policy you're referring to is a lower drinking age because of the region you're sailing to. I think a parent's signed consent is still required for 18-20 year olds to allow them to drink onboard.

 

And it's only for beer and wine, I believe.

[Charbie]

Hi all,

We are just in the planning stages of going to Bermuda out of Boston next year on the Dawn. We have sailed Carnival twice with my family over Thanksgiving. There were 14 of us and the price was right. I am now excited to try NCL.

I am confused about the categories. I have a family of 5, 3 teenage boys ages 18, 16 and 15 at the time of the cruise. We are traveling with a family of 4 and possible one other family of 4. I have been designated to to the research:)

I guess my questions would be

1. What floor is best so as not to hear too much noise. I am a very light sleeper.

2. I was thinking of a balcony room for me and my husband and an inside room for them ( maybe a balcony for them too, not sure.) What would be the best area for this or the best rooms that anyone has stayed in.

3. What do the abbreviations for the categories stand for? I hate to sound like an idiot as Carnival had these too but I always found that confusing too!

Thanks so much. I am sure I will have a lot of questions in the future.

Kathy

 

I have sailed NCL Jewel & Dawn in the Family Suite (cat SC, 2 bedrooms, 2 bath - PLUS living room), and it is AMAZING! Master bedroom is to DIE for - with private bath, a 2nd bedroom with it's own bath would be perfect for the two youngest boys .. and put the oldest boy on the pullout in the living room (I was on this on one of the cruises and it was so comfortable!!). If you can do it -- with all the SUITE perks, it is soooooo worth it!! I think we have done it twice because after checking out getting two seperate balcony cabins it wasn't that much different .. and worth every cent of the difference with the perks!

 

But I warn you - once you go full suite --- it is oh so very hard to go back!!!

 

Karen

[lexanna02]

I usually google Best Cabins on (whatever ship) and have always found great rooms!

 

I hope it helps....it's never steered us wrong!