Christmas on the Jewel

[RaiderDuck]

The GF and I are going on our first NCL cruise this December on the Mexican Riviera. A few questions:

• Do they do anything special for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in terms of dining, special events or whatnot?
  
• Is there any advantage to booking specialty restaurants now vs waiting until we get on board and sample the regular dining rooms' food?
  
• We have an inside cabin (Category IF) with free pre-paid gratuities. Can we expect a call from Upsells, and if so, what should we hold out for? (We wouldn't be averse to spending another $100/person on a window cabin if it meant we got another free perk. The website wanted us to spend another $240/person for a porthole cabin with perks, which we considered too expen$ive.)
  
• Earlier this month on the Carnival Splendor, we loved the shows "88 Keys" and "Studio 54." Will the NCL shows be of that caliber?
  
• When will we be able to book the shows?
  

[www3traveler]

(1) Yes, the ship should be beautiful decorated. There be caroling by staff officers on Christmas Eve and Santa Claus probably Christmas morning depending on whether or not you are in port that day.

 

(2) Your cruise should be sold out, depending on how many people are in your party, you may want to make reservations if you want specialty dining. You can make reservations once you board, or early in the day of when you want to go to a specialty.

 

(3) I would doubt that there will be an "upsell" for this cruise as it will probably be sold out. If you do want to upgrade, you will probably loss the booking perks you have now. It would be considered a cancellation and new booking.

 

(4) On "Jewel Class" ships all entertainment is free.

 

Enjoy.

[Hamilton_Rob]

 

(3) I would doubt that there will be an "upsell" for this cruise as it will probably be sold out. If you do want to upgrade, you will probably loss the booking perks you have now. It would be considered a cancellation and new booking.

 

 

Enjoy.

 

 

I don't believe you lose the perks you have, you just don't get additional perks. This, at least, was our experience when we accepted an upsell from a Balcony to Haven.

 

 

 

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[www3traveler]

In 30 cruises, I have lost more than once "booking perks" because I cancel and re-book for one reason or another. Mostly trying to get a better cabin or deal and lost perks EVERY TIME.

[hawkeyetlse]

(4) On "Jewel Class" ships all entertainment is free.

Free and not open for booking, either online or on board. If you want to see a show, just go to the theater before showtime and find a seat!

[Hamilton_Rob]

In 30 cruises, I have lost more than once "booking perks" because I cancel and re-book for one reason or another. Mostly trying to get a better cabin or deal and lost perks EVERY TIME.

 

OP mentioned contact from Upsell Dept, not canceling and rebooking. Should be a difference.

[RaiderDuck]

Free and not open for booking, either online or on board. If you want to see a show, just go to the theater before showtime and find a seat!

A client of my GF said that NCL makes you book the entertainment on the website beforehand; it doesn't cost anything extra of course, but you have to specify which night you want to see a particular show.

 

Did the client have incorrect information, or does this policy not apply on Jewel-class ships?

[hawkeyetlse]

It only applies to the newer megaships. Since they carry 4000+ passengers, the shows are repeated several times throughout the cruise, and people can book the performances they want to attend.

 

On the smaller ships, there is a different show every day, with two performances, and it's all done on a walk-in, first-come first-seated basis.

[Misskitty72]

I was on this cruise last Christmas. Can confirm reservations are not needed for entertainment. It's first come first served.

 

However, I would make specialty dining reservations ahead of time, especially if you want to eat somewhere special on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. There was a Christmas Day brunch in the main dining rooms too. But I think you could only make reservations for that once you were on board.

 

This cruise rocks! You guys will have so much fun! Our cruise was sold out, but it didn't feel crowded at all.

 

Happy sailing!