Brand new to NCL, lots of questions

[MKESail]

Hi, all. 

 

Royal cruiser here, brand new to NCL, going on Pearl from Boston in less than 6 weeks. Here are my questions:

1. When will the rooms be ready on embarkation day?

2. When we do our online check in through the app, I guess we would be able to pick our embarkation time slot (similar to Royal). What if we are late for that time slot (but not late to the ship ;))?

3. Any recommendations for lunch on Pearl on embarkation day, other than the buffet?

4. Do package/excursion prices ever go down? Probably not for this sailing because it's too close, but in general? With Royal I am used to booking stuff then cancelling and re-booking if the price goes down, is that a thing with NCL?

5. At this point will there be more excursions added for our sailing? Again, we are a little over 5 weeks out.

 

I may have more questions, but this is it for now. Any other tips and information from those who sailed both Royal and NCL, may be compare and contrast would really help. I did do my search on here but I would like some post-COVID info, may be from 6 months ago or less. Thank you in advance!

[hallux]

7 minutes ago, MKESail said:

1. When will the rooms be ready on embarkation day?

Usually sometime after 1 PM.  My suggestion is to only carry on what you can comfortably carry for a couple hours.

8 minutes ago, MKESail said:

2. When we do our online check in through the app, I guess we would be able to pick our embarkation time slot (similar to Royal). What if we are late for that time slot (but not late to the ship ;))

You can, but those times are not strictly enforced.

9 minutes ago, MKESail said:

4. Do package/excursion prices ever go down? Probably not for this sailing because it's too close, but in general? With Royal I am used to booking stuff then cancelling and re-booking if the price goes down, is that a thing with NCL?

Not that I've seen.

 

Did you get the Free At Sea promo?  If you haven't booked your dining yet you're probably going to have to have someone make a bee-line to the reservation desk for specialty dining as soon as you get on board.  The reservations available online are usually only about 30% of the total available, with the rest opening up on embarkation day.

[cruisinmeme]

Rooms are usually ready around 2:00 an announcement is made when ready.

the dinning room will be open for lunch. Ask for directions or check out the deck plans ahead and know your direction. Also O’Shenhans will be open.  We prefer the dinning room. 
you can check in online at 21 days eastern standard time (whatever time it is for you) I used my iPad .  Only problem is I didn’t read full directions for the picture you need . CAN NOT have glasses on.  So have a picture ready to use or will need to do a selfie at that time. 
we rarely do any excursions anymore so not real up to date on that.  I do know they can sell out. Happened to us. 
If  you have dining package you can make those reservations at 125 days out. Do it!! Also if you have a party of an odd number round up your party count. 

[cruiserbear55]

4 minutes ago, MKESail said:

Hi, all. 

 

Royal cruiser here, brand new to NCL, going on Pearl from Boston in less than 6 weeks. Here are my questions:

1. When will the rooms be ready on embarkation day?

2. When we do our online check in through the app, I guess we would be able to pick our embarkation time slot (similar to Royal). What if we are late for that time slot (but not late to the ship ;))?

3. Any recommendations for lunch on Pearl on embarkation day, other than the buffet?

4. Do package/excursion prices ever go down? Probably not for this sailing because it's too close, but in general? With Royal I am used to booking stuff then cancelling and re-booking if the price goes down, is that a thing with NCL?

5. At this point will there be more excursions added for our sailing? Again, we are a little over 5 weeks out.

 

I may have more questions, but this is it for now. Any other tips and information from those who sailed both Royal and NCL, may be compare and contrast would really help. I did do my search on here but I would like some post-COVID info, may be from 6 months ago or less. Thank you in advance!

 

 

     1.    2-4PM

     2.    You pick your check-in time, not your embarkation time. Everyone embarks at the same time

             ( when the ship sails). If you're late for your check-in time, not a problem.

    3.     One of the main dining rooms, usually the forward MDR, along with O'Sheehans, the Great

            Outdoors,and offerings in the pool area are open for lunch.I recommend the MDR.

    4.     Not in my experience.

    5.     Probably not. Pretty much the same excursions on this cruise year-to-year, unless a

            business goes belly-up, or a new one comes on-board ( no pun intended!).

 

[MKESail]

17 minutes ago, hallux said:

Usually sometime after 1 PM.  My suggestion is to only carry on what you can comfortably carry for a couple hours.

You can, but those times are not strictly enforced.

Not that I've seen.

 

Did you get the Free At Sea promo?  If you haven't booked your dining yet you're probably going to have to have someone make a bee-line to the reservation desk for specialty dining as soon as you get on board.  The reservations available online are usually only about 30% of the total available, with the rest opening up on embarkation day.

Thank you for your response, that really helps. Yes, I did get FAS promo and yes, I do have all the dining booked for all 7 nights 👍 

[MKESail]

16 minutes ago, cruisinmeme said:

you can check in online at 21 days eastern standard time (whatever time it is for you) I used my iPad .  Only problem is I didn’t read full directions for the picture you need . CAN NOT have glasses on.  So have a picture ready to use or will need to do a selfie at that time. 

Thank you! So that’s actually another question I had - am I required to take my picture through the app right when I am checking in or can I upload one? The reason I’m asking is because I wanted to do the check in for both of us myself to make sure we are able to get the same time slot. 

[cruiseny4life]

2 minutes ago, MKESail said:

Thank you! So that’s actually another question I had - am I required to take my picture through the app right when I am checking in or can I upload one? The reason I’m asking is because I wanted to do the check in for both of us myself to make sure we are able to get the same time slot. 

You can take a photo through your computer or upload one. Then you'll be able to smile for the camera at the pier to take a photo to replace the one you took/uploaded (some people get it right and don't have to do a retake, I get it wrong every time). 

[MKESail]

18 minutes ago, cruiserbear55 said:

 

     2.    You pick your check-in time, not your embarkation time. Everyone embarks at the same time

             ( when the ship sails). If you're late for your check-in time, not a problem

 

Silly question then - what happens between the check-in and the embarkation? You just sit and wait at the terminal? And when does the embarkation usually start?

[mjkacmom]

25 minutes ago, MKESail said:

Silly question then - what happens between the check-in and the embarkation? You just sit and wait at the terminal? And when does the embarkation usually start?

Yes, I think boarding starts around 11:30.

[BostonGal35]

if this is a sail to bermuda, save your money on excursions.  the island is very easy to navigate (and safe) on your own with the bus and ferry system.  passes can be purchased mere steps from teh ship when you get off at the Dockyard.  We have bought unlimited 2 day passes as well as zone tokens depending upon how much you want to see and do.   NCL will also provide a FREE ferry to and from St. George.

 

you can book jetskis and other water activities right at the pier as well, again for a fraction of the cost.

[hallux]

2 hours ago, cruisinmeme said:

If  you have dining package you can make those reservations at 125 days out.

For a new NCL customer it's 120 days unless they're in a suite.

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, MKESail said:

Silly question then - what happens between the check-in and the embarkation? You just sit and wait at the terminal? And when does the embarkation usually start?

Like Royal, you wait for embarkation. At check-in, you are given a boarding group number and board in that order. So, there is a small benefit to getting there early and boarding early. 
 

Priority boarding (suites and Haven suites) start around 11:00. General boarding starts around 11:30. 
 

Timing is very similar to Royal. 

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, MKESail said:

Thank you! So that’s actually another question I had - am I required to take my picture through the app right when I am checking in or can I upload one? The reason I’m asking is because I wanted to do the check in for both of us myself to make sure we are able to get the same time slot. 

Stand against a white wall and take a mug shot. Face on. No glasses. For both of you. 
 

Just like Royal, once check in opens, early check in times sell out quickly.
 

NCL check in opens on Day 21 before departure. As shown on the count down clock on your app or MyNCL account. 12 midnight eastern time. Exactly. by day 20, early times are sold out. 

[thespiritmovesme]

If you are arriving on Sunday, especially Easter Sunday, the shops in Hamilton may not be opened & there may be less transportation available. 

[mizLORInj]

On the Pearl I wouldn't worry about dining reservations.  I've sailed its sisters, Gem and Jewel, and never had dining issues on any of the many cruises.   

 

Embarkation day one of the 2 dining rooms will be open for lunch.  At least they used to be.   One is aft and one is mid-ship.   

 

If you're on the same reservation, you will get the same check-in slot.

 

Remember that Norwegian does not allow you to bring ANY beverages on board (unlike most other lines that let you bring your own water, soda, and/or bottle(s) of wine per cabin).   I do not like this Norwegian policy.   Even if you bring water the SHIP gave you off the ship, it will be taken away when you come back to the ship.   

 

 

[MKESail]

3 minutes ago, thespiritmovesme said:

If you are arriving on Sunday, especially Easter Sunday, the shops in Hamilton may not be opened & there may be less transportation available. 

Yeah, we are actually the weekend after that. 👍

[thespiritmovesme]

5 minutes ago, mizLORInj said:

 

Remember that Norwegian does not allow you to bring ANY beverages on board (unlike most other lines that let you bring your own water, soda, and/or bottle(s) of wine per cabin).   I do not like this Norwegian policy.   Even if you bring water the SHIP gave you off the ship, it will be taken away when you come back to the ship.   

 

 

Actually, NCL does allow you to bring wine on board. There is a corkage fee if you do not have the beverage package. See their FAQs re the policy.

[mizLORInj]

26 minutes ago, thespiritmovesme said:

Actually, NCL does allow you to bring wine on board. There is a corkage fee if you do not have the beverage package. See their FAQs re the policy.

 

Not interested in paying a fee as we don't usually get bev pkg.    😁

[DCGuy64]

59 minutes ago, mizLORInj said:

 

Not interested in paying a fee as we don't usually get bev pkg.    😁

OK but to be fair, in your earlier post you said NCL doesn't allow you to bring any beverages onboard, which isn't true. You can, and you can even do so for free if you have the FAS beverage package, which many here on CC seem to do.

[mjkacmom]

17 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

OK but to be fair, in your earlier post you said NCL doesn't allow you to bring any beverages onboard, which isn't true. You can, and you can even do so for free if you have the FAS beverage package, which many here on CC seem to do.

We’ve always brought wine onboard and paid for corkage, now that it’s free is awesome, we getting our monies worth with the UDP.

[mearsfansinboise]

1. When will the rooms be ready on embarkation day?

Usually around 1pm.

 

2. When we do our online check in through the app, I guess we would be able to pick our embarkation time slot (similar to Royal). What if we are late for that time slot (but not late to the ship ;))?

Nothing happens.  Come earlier, come later, nothing happens.

 

4. Do package/excursion prices ever go down? Probably not for this sailing because it's too close, but in general? With Royal I am used to booking stuff then cancelling and re-booking if the price goes down, is that a thing with NCL?

I've not ever seen that ... though can't say I was looking for it to change either.

 

5. At this point will there be more excursions added for our sailing? Again, we are a little over 5 weeks out.

Unlikely.

[Biffire]

9 hours ago, MKESail said:

Hi, all. 

 

Royal cruiser here, brand new to NCL, going on Pearl from Boston in less than 6 weeks. Here are my questions:

1. When will the rooms be ready on embarkation day? IT can vary, but one oclock is a good estimate.

2. When we do our online check in through the app, I guess we would be able to pick our embarkation time slot (similar to Royal). What if we are late for that time slot (but not late to the ship ;))? In my experience the assigned check in time means nothing.

3. Any recommendations for lunch on Pearl on embarkation day, other than the buffet?

Whichever MDR is open that day, or O'Sheehans

4. Do package/excursion prices ever go down? Probably not for this sailing because it's too close, but in general? With Royal I am used to booking stuff then cancelling and re-booking if the price goes down, is that a thing with NCL? I have never seen any fluctuation in the excursion prices, however I never book before getting on the ship.

5. At this point will there be more excursions added for our sailing? Again, we are a little over 5 weeks out. I doubt it

 

I may have more questions, but this is it for now. Any other tips and information from those who sailed both Royal and NCL, may be compare and contrast would really help. I did do my search on here but I would like some post-COVID info, may be from 6 months ago or less. Thank you in advance!

 

[www3traveler]

One of the Main Dinig Rooms will be open for lunch as well as O"Sheehan's (Local).

[genealogyfan]

We sailed on the Pearl in September 2022. We enjoyed eating lunch at the "Summer Palace" the day of embarkation. It was quiet, less crazy and less stressful. We always like to eat at a sit down restaurant on that day. While we were eating lunch, they announced all cabins were available.

 

If you do eat at the Summer Palace, ask if Cherry is working. She was a waitress there for breakfast, and we ate there for breakfast each day. She didn't work the lunch shift, but her schedule may have changed. We weren't the only ones asking to sit in her section at breakfast. We never ate at the buffet, but ate at the free sit down restaurants and specialty ones, as we had the 2 specialty dining package.

 

If you have a specialty dining option, go eat at Le Bistro. It was the best food of all the restaurants and Cherry happened to work there during dinner. 

 

The entertainment wasn't the greatest on the Pearl, so don't expect much. Are you booking excursions through the ship or privately?

 

We did the excursions through the ship, as the $50 discount made it affordable. Although when we sailed to Bermuda, which I think you are doing, I booked a private tour of the island on the first day and after the guy never showed, we caught another private tour with another couple on the dock. We really enjoyed it. We did book the beach excursion through the ship, as it was the last day and I didn't want to take the chance and miss the ship.

 

 

[TheycallmeFlip]

While it's part of the buffet, we grabbed lunch at the Great Outdoors which wasn't as hectic as the main buffet and it was a nice day to be outside.

We took the ferry over to Hamilton on Monday and did the town crier walking tour of Hamilton.  It's about a 2 hour tour through the capital city and was free.  The ferry was $9 roundtrip per person as was not the NCL ferry. 

 

Flip