New to NCL...few dining questions

[RadFamily]

We are considering a last minute trip on the GEM out of Barcelona. The search feature is down right now, else I would have searched for answers to my questions.

 

Can someone please tell me which restaruants are "included" in the cruise fare and which have a separate charge, and what the charges are?

 

Are children allowed in all the restaurants?

 

Are the childrens' clubs (we have a 2 and 6 year old) open all day and evening? Not that we want to leave them there all day, but if we prefer to have an adult only dinner one night (or two!;) ) can the children use the kids club while we enjoy dinner and drinks?

 

TIA!

 

- Tara

[mylesf]

Info on Kids Program:

 

The Kid's Crew program onboard offers fun, supervised, age-appropriate activities for children between 2 and 17 years old (children under 2 are not accepted into the program).

Age Groups and Sample Activities

Activities are flexible and subject to change based on participants. Family activities may also be offered throughout the cruise. Children are assigned to a group based on their age at sailing. Please note that we do not allow children to switch age groups.

• Juniors (Ages 2-5): storytelling, painting, developmental activities, age-specific games family activities
  
• First Mates (Ages 6-9): children's pool area, pizza making party, games, parties, crafts & classes
  
• Navigators (Ages 10-12): sports activities, team-building challenges, games & parties, video arcade
  
• Teens (Ages 13-17): teen disco, sports and activities, video arcade, movies and parties

Important: Youth staff cannot assist children in the washroom or change diapers. Parents of children who are not potty-trained are given beepers and will be paged to assist their children. Beeper range is limited to the ship.

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Youth Staff

• Chosen from university education and recreation programs
  
• CPR and First Aid certified
  
• Trained in ship safety
  
• Trained in communication and confidence building

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Hours

• Nightly from 7:00 pm to 10:00pm
  
• Sea days: 9:00am - 12:00pm and 2:00pm - 5:00pm

Gem Restuarant:

Norwegian Gem

Restaurant

Cover Charge

Meal Times

Grand Pacific

Main Dining Room

$0

B, L, D

Magenta

Main Dining Room

$0

D

Blue Lagoon

24 hr Food Court

$0

B, L, D

Garden Café

Buffet

$0

B, L, D

Tequila

Tex-Mex Restaurant

$0

D

La Cucina

Italian

$0

D

Topsider's Grill

Poolside grill

$0

D

Orchid Garden

Asian Cuisine

$10pp

D

Teppanyaki

Japanese

$20 pp

D

Sushi Bar

Japanese

$15 pp

D

Cagney's

Upscale Steak House

$20 pp

D

Le Bistro

French Restaurant

$15 pp

D

 

Kids are welcome in the all restuarants.

 

NCL also offers babysitting service if the Kid Club hours does not meet your needs.

[ChBoxers800]

The only thing that I would add to this is you may want to check out the part about NCL offering babysitting in addition to kids club. I believe they offer it in group settings only, for specific times, not private babysitting in your cabin as some cruise liines do.

 

Also, if not potty trained, the 2 year old will not be allowed to use any swimming pools. This isn't an NCL rule but a health safety rule all cruise lines follow.

[mylesf]

Here is the policy on babysitting service:

 

NCL/NCLA offers group sitting for ages 2-12 with the Kid's Crew counselors.

Private baby-sitting or in-cabin baby-sitting is not available.

• Children must be 2 years old to participate. No exceptions!
  
• Parents with participating children who are not potty-trained will be issued a beeper and be alerted when the child needs to be changed. Beeper range is limited to on board the ship; therefore, a parent or guardian must stay behind on the vessel while their child is in the program.

Hours

(Parents must sign up by 8:00pm the evening prior)Evenings................10:00pm - 1:00am

Days in port.............9:00am - 5:00pm*

*Note: we will accommodate parents booked on NCL/NCLA shore excursions that depart/arrive outside of these hours.



Rates (subject to change)

$5.00 per hour/per child

$3.00 for each additional child of the same immediate family.

**Fees will be charged directly to guests' onboard account.

**Hourly rate will double on Christmas Eve & New Years Eve.

 

Place

Kid's Crew Facility

Parents/Guardians must sign their children IN & OUT of the center.





Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the staff to child ratio?
   The number of staff onboard depends on many factors, such as vessel size, itinerary and season. We receive preliminary counts for the vessels in advance, therefore, if additional staff are needed, we send accordingly.
   
2. What education level do the staff have?
   Some staff employees are in the process of acquiring degrees in Recreation and/or education, with ship experience serving towards those requirements. The majority of the year round staff are college graduates. We select staff with resort, camp, day-care, life guarding, and teaching experiences, and prefer a language second to English.
   
3. Are they trained to handle children with special needs?
   Although most of them are trained in related fields before coming to work on ships, it is not a mandatory requirement for the position.

[BeachBumMama]

Just wanted to add that the kids club activities and such will probably be based on how many kids are on that sailing. I think the hours might be limited if they don't have alot of kids etc. Have a great time!:)