Trying to see if NCL is a good fit

[beerman2]

I was wondering........do y'all think it's possible to get 3 rooms within a close proximity of each other? Also.....what is this Haven room I've read about and can it sleep 6 comfotably?

 

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Yes it is possible and the sooner you book the better odds. Call NCL direct and talk to someone.

 

Haven is an exclusive area with butler service, private restaurant and pool. Don't think any 1 cabin sleeps 6.

[gambit57]

Even if you don't get rooms together, it's not a big deal. You just plan on meeting elsewhere. Typically meals. So you just tell them, "Hey, we'll meet you at XXX restaurant for dinner at BBB time." Since you were all planning on doing your own things anyways, they might not go back to their rooms until bedtime so not a big deal to be in a cabin away from them.

[southernshug]

Even if you don't get rooms together, it's not a big deal. You just plan on meeting elsewhere. Typically meals. So you just tell them, "Hey, we'll meet you at XXX restaurant for dinner at BBB time." Since you were all planning on doing your own things anyways, they might not go back to their rooms until bedtime so not a big deal to be in a cabin away from them.

Good point!!! Guess I'll always have that "mom" thing, lol

 

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[Two Wheels Only]

Haven is an exclusive area with butler service, private restaurant and pool. Don't think any 1 cabin sleeps 6.

There are many Haven suites that sleep 6. The Garden Villa (on the ships that have) sleeps up to 8.

[southernshug]

There are many Haven suites that sleep 6. The Garden Villa (on the ships that have) sleeps up to 8.

Thank u. I finally got a chance to look them up and for the cost, 3 balcony rooms might do just fine! 😉

 

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[Victorious8]

Thank u. I finally got a chance to look them up and for the cost, 3 balcony rooms might do just fine! 😉

 

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I can't remember if your kids are bringing significant others, but if they are not there are the studio rooms which are really nice.

 

NCL also has an app where you can message each other while on the ship, that can help to coordinate things. I only cruised with family on lines that had assigned dinner times and the one rule for the cruises was that we had to always at least come to dinner. Even if you just stayed for an appetizer because you wanted to go to an activity you still showed up. It worked well :)

[southernshug]

I can't remember if your kids are bringing significant others, but if they are not there are the studio rooms which are really nice.

 

NCL also has an app where you can message each other while on the ship, that can help to coordinate things. I only cruised with family on lines that had assigned dinner times and the one rule for the cruises was that we had to always at least come to dinner. Even if you just stayed for an appetizer because you wanted to go to an activity you still showed up. It worked well :)

Yes, they will both have their spouses! The hubby and I are paying for this trip, since we were never able to really have family vacations when they were younger. This will be DH and my 2nd cruise but the 1st cruise for the others! Thank u for letting me know about the app.......that might come in very handy!!!! Lol With as big as some of these ships are, I wasn't sure we'd see each other again until we disembarked! 😂

 

 

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[Victorious8]

Yes, they will both have their spouses! The hubby and I are paying for this trip, since we were never able to really have family vacations when they were younger. This will be DH and my 2nd cruise but the 1st cruise for the others! Thank u for letting me know about the app.......that might come in very handy!!!! Lol With as big as some of these ships are, I wasn't sure we'd see each other again until we disembarked! 😂

 

 

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I hope you have a wonderful trip. I loved my family trips and now that my Nana is gone they are some of my fondest memories.

[gambit57]

I can't remember if your kids are bringing significant others, but if they are not there are the studio rooms which are really nice.

 

NCL also has an app where you can message each other while on the ship, that can help to coordinate things. I only cruised with family on lines that had assigned dinner times and the one rule for the cruises was that we had to always at least come to dinner. Even if you just stayed for an appetizer because you wanted to go to an activity you still showed up. It worked well :)

 

You have to pay to be able to text with the app, I believe. May or may not be worth it depending on the family. If you're old school (or frugal), there's always the voice mail to the cabin phone or sticky note to the door. :)

[volk904]

I would think You might like NCL but we enjoyed the Escape and did not find it overcrowded other than the pool area but it is moving to NYC.

He waterfront areas on their new ships is great. If you like casual NCL is your line. It was great leaving my coat and tie at home with no formal nights. Food is good.

 

I might also suggest you consider the RCCL Oasis class ships. They have so much to offer you will not be bored.

 

 

 

 

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[4774Papa]

You would probably enjoy the smaller ships, like the Jade, Gem or Sun. We didn't like the Epic very much. It always felt crowded. Also, the pool was so small and crowded it was not usable.

[Negrilgirl]

My husband and I are close to you in age. We used to sail only on Celebrity but found it to be boring at times. And did not like dressing up every night for dinner.

 

A friend suggested NCL and after one cruise we were sold. There are so many activities available and the we love the night life options. You will not be disappointed.

 

In our opinion Celebrity has NCL beat when it comes to the quality of food in in restaurants. But not by much. Also Celebrity’s beverage package has more options than NCL, for example NCL does not include bottled water or specialty coffees.

 

We like the flexibility of anytime dining and the causal atmosphere. We sailed on the Getaway in a Haven suite and the Pearl in a aft facing penthouse.

 

We like the smaller ships. Sailing on the Dawn tomorrow.

 

 

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[southernshug]

My husband and I are close to you in age. We used to sail only on Celebrity but found it to be boring at times. And did not like dressing up every night for dinner.

 

A friend suggested NCL and after one cruise we were sold. There are so many activities available and the we love the night life options. You will not be disappointed.

 

In our opinion Celebrity has NCL beat when it comes to the quality of food in in restaurants. But not by much. Also Celebrity’s beverage package has more options than NCL, for example NCL does not include bottled water or specialty coffees.

 

We like the flexibility of anytime dining and the causal atmosphere. We sailed on the Getaway in a Haven suite and the Pearl in a aft facing penthouse.

 

We like the smaller ships. Sailing on the Dawn tomorrow.

 

 

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Thank you!!!! I was wondering if it was just me who got a wee bit bored on Celebrity and I'm not even the go, go, go type!!! Lol

 

 

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[southernshug]

Thank you!!!! I was wondering if it was just me who got a wee bit bored on Celebrity and I'm not even the go, go, go type!!! Lol

 

 

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I admit I'm confused about the anytime dining because ppl keep talking about needing reservations for anything?

 

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[nednrom]

I admit I'm confused about the anytime dining because ppl keep talking about needing reservations for anything?

 

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You don't need reservations if you're eating in the main dining room or O'Sheehan's, Food Republic, Jasmine etc. In other words the free restaurants. The specialty restaurants do have specific times and it's best to make a reservations for those if you like to eat at a particular time. NCL has more than just the main dining room and the buffet as options for dining in many of their ships.

[southernshug]

You don't need reservations if you're eating in the main dining room or O'Sheehan's, Food Republic, Jasmine etc. In other words the free restaurants. The specialty restaurants do have specific times and it's best to make a reservations for those if you like to eat at a particular time. NCL has more than just the main dining room and the buffet as options for dining in many of their ships.

Thank u for clearing up my confusion!!! 😊

 

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[Negrilgirl]

I admit I'm confused about the anytime dining because ppl keep talking about needing reservations for anything?

 

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As others have said only need reservations for the specialty restaurants. We never stress about dining. There are so many options. We tend to dine late and have always been able to get reservations.

 

 

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[nednrom]

Thank u for clearing up my confusion!!!

 

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You're welcome. I was actually surprised at the free food choices on the Escape and on the Jade. We are Royal cruisers and tried Jade and Escape NCL this pas year. On the Escape, There are 3 main dining rooms serving the same menu of the night but they all have a different ambiance. One of them actually features dinner and dancing ..has a live band with a stage which allows couples to dance between courses. A fourth one has a show featured and the early time of 6 pm is free with a different 3 course meal. There is also O'Sheehan's which is bar food and open 23 hours. We participated in some activities and preferred to sit back and enjoy ourselves other times. Like some people have mentioned, lack of pools is a real problem. We opted to get Vibe passes instead, an area that only has hot tub but private with great service. Passes for this however are hard to come since there are only 70passes for the whole area. You might want to look into getting a 2 bedroom suite instead of 3 cabins. The suite life on the Norwegian is awesome.

[southernshug]

You're welcome. I was actually surprised at the free food choices on the Escape and on the Jade. We are Royal cruisers and tried Jade and Escape NCL this pas year. On the Escape, There are 3 main dining rooms serving the same menu of the night but they all have a different ambiance. One of them actually features dinner and dancing ..has a live band with a stage which allows couples to dance between courses. A fourth one has a show featured and the early time of 6 pm is free with a different 3 course meal. There is also O'Sheehan's which is bar food and open 23 hours. We participated in some activities and preferred to sit back and enjoy ourselves other times. Like some people have mentioned, lack of pools is a real problem. We opted to get Vibe passes instead, an area that only has hot tub but private with great service. Passes for this however are hard to come since there are only 70passes for the whole area. You might want to look into getting a 2 bedroom suite instead of 3 cabins. The suite life on the Norwegian is awesome.

Great info! Thank u again 😊

 

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[WhereRU2523]

We are also in our late 60's and have sailed on Celebrity, RCCL and on the MSC Sinfonia (Europe 2016), which was a "huge" disappointment.

Norwegian seems to be capturing a larger client base and seems to have something for everyone. We were somewhat leary about large crowds and watersides...etc. but we like the idea of the H2O area.

We are excited about Bermuda in May 2018.

[grandmarnnurse]

I just sailed the Getaway with our daughter and her family, and they had an absolute blast! My suggestion is to choose one of the larger, newer ships of NCL with all the amenities to keep everyone busy. The Getaway has a rope course, climbing wall, 5 water slides, kids splash area, mini golf, bungee trampoline, bowling and other games in O’Sheehans Irish Pub, plus a full arcade up on deck 16. There is the adult area Spice H2O, with bar, 2 hot tubs, cooling waterfalls, and a huge movie screen. It is adult only until 6pm, then families can go to movies, etc up there. There are great parties there, also, including the Glow Party on Friday night. There are more fabulous complimentary food choices on this ship, with more late night offerings. Loved it!

 

 

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