12 Must-Have Norwegian Cruise Tips, Tricks, & Things to Know 

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​@@Ira88881😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

We are going on the Pride in March. Looking forward to it. We have been on Encore and loved it. Trying to figure out whether to pay for the wifi because my wife will have to do work on her laptop.

I like the older ones. I'm not interested in go-carts and water slides, etc.

People have been wondering why they have it... see, all the fish swim forward, so the one lone red fish indicates that he’s swimming the wrong way, so don’t follow him for directions

@Vicki Lutz lol

Glad to hear it! Which ship are you sailing?

Cruzely.com we are on the Breakaway! Our 30th anniversary and late 50th for me!

@@kellyhause8313 Congrats! Hope y'all have fun. Great ship.

Did you leave from Rome and end in Miami?

Hope it's not the PEARL.

Thanks for the kind words. Haven't done the Pride of America. You'll need to tell us your thoughts when you get back!

Pride of America is not a Mega Ship. It is a nice ship though and great way to visit more than one island.

KATHY HOPN Good to hear. My husband and I are going in three weeks on anHawaiian Islands cruise on Pride of America, so appreciate any tips. It's been 16 years since we took the Panama Canal Cruise.

@teresa moehlmann sorry you didn’t get to take your June cruise to Hawaii. We did the POA cruise in 2009 for my sons 4th birthday. We have a group cruise planned for his 16th birthday on the POA on August 28th 2021.

Hope you have a blast. My Wife and I are taking the October 26th sailing on the Pride of America. I was stationed in Hawaii in the 80's but my wife has never been.

We've also sailed the Jade (earlier this year). Our cruise was five or six days and we'll admit to getting a little bored on the ship. That's why we prefer to sail the bigger and newer ships with more to do.

Awesome! Haven't sailed solo cabins, but got to tour them. They seem really cool!

Glad to help!

Lauren Robinson we’re going October 2020 also. Any chance is Barcelona?

Lauren Robinson you will love the Epic been on it twice love it had a balcony cabin both times really nice going back November or December of 2020 have to see where the Epic is going cause want to go back on it all the staff is terrific just wonderful , well have a great time

Epic sailed twice on that one Loved it

You know it! Glad you like 'em.

You're welcome. We're big fans!

Make sure you take some kind of imunity booster at least a week before your cruise.

Have a blast and write a review. NCL needs to know

@@neceynecey4679 www cwc s

Glad you like it! What's your favorite NCL ship you've sailed?

Dallas Cruiser find your History! On You tube. Best way to find what you watched. Also the 3 dots on upper Right top. Click it and scroll. You can speed up the playback speed. I can watch more videos when I’m on my treadmill that way!! Welcome to You tube, where you can learn ALOT of info. Susan from Indiana 🥰

@@Cruzelycom hie may l have the email address to apply for jobs please

Trent in Tampa if you need to stay in touch with others on board, go for the $10 charge in the app once on board. 7 days of texting and calling thru the app with NO charges from your carrier. It was easy!

At least with the parents you aren't responsible if they get in trouble. Hope you enjoy your trip.

I hope the both of you enjoy

You're going to love it!

...that was my very first ship too...wow...eh?

Sean McRae ....agreed I was on the Getaway....wish they had a few fish on the lower decks as well...got sooo lost sooo often...

...except Haven rooms. The hallways have no fish.

Yes also I feel the smaller ships have better quality of food and service.

I'm taking my first cruise in January 2022 for my birthday

It's pretty cool. We especially like the new #NCL ships

Sandy -- check us out at Cruzely.com. We have hundreds of articles on all aspects of cruising.

A lot of people don't gamble and could care less about an on board casino.

@@RG-hf4et And the smoke!

He says not to be a chair hog and don't reserve it if you know you are going to be gone a long time

Arrrr, I hope you had a wonderful time.

How was it?

That's the good thing about cruising... there is something for everyone. We're big fans of newer ships.

Thanks for the advice. It makes sense

I find the smaller ships tend to be older ships and need LOTS of work. Plus the things you expect (a higher quality of food, entertainment, or hours of operation really take a hit). Though you are right... the larger the ship can mean longer lines, no room in theaters or venues are too crowded and thus lost opportunities. I wish cruise lines worked hard to maintain quality across their fleets.

Me too - on the Jewel to N.Z. and Singapore to Hong Kong.

We actually find the larger ships are nice because there is more space to get away from crowds and more things to do as well. But hey, small ship, big ship -- it's still nice to be out on the water.

Krista Exactly ! I love the Gem..😊

Agreed 100%

I like the Gem too but in Oct 2020 my wife and I are going on the Breakaway from NYC to celebrate her being cancer free for 5 yrs This is our 4th sail on NCL

Love them also!

cruise.com you get credit too.

That's a great price!

Lucky lady! Have a blast

Went on the breakaway a few years back got 3 adult drink packages and my son was 18 and we got him the soda package. Hope it helps enjoy

There is no option for "faster" services unless you book a Haven room. You can have your butler or concierge escort you to the front of every line. Shows, getting on and off of the ship, guest services, ect.

We just sailed Encore. We loved it. I hear it is very similar to other ships in the class, but you're right -- no Spice H20 area.

Vonnie Bench what is spice h2o, and why an aft room?

It seems that the free drink package gratuities are included as well if sailing from Europe, but not from the U.S.

Brittany Thompson I used to work on the Pearl

Brittany Thompson i just got off that ship 3 days ago It is ok at best !

We were on the Pearl for our Alaska cruise in 2014. How did you like it? Where did you go?

We came off the Epic today and we definitely had the fish on the 13th deck where our cabin was.

@@aliguest7237 yes, they replaced the carpet during the last drydock period and added the fish.

Great insight. Maybe we are simply kids at heart because we liked all the extra things to do on the newer ships.

Cruzely.com I do too! Love the crazy slides, ropes courses and all the nightly entertainment. We partied like rock stars on the Breakaway last month. I was a zombie at work for about 3 days after😂 . Our kids are college age and up and we plan to take the whole lot on the Alaska cruise!

If you have the Free at Sea, you get a certain number of perks, depending on which cabin you book. More expensive cabins have more perks. You don't have to pick one if you don't want it though. So say you get the choice of three perks, you can select the excursions and the free wi-fi, but not pick the drink package if you don't want it. Not sure about interrupted views, but we've not seen that often.

Not a SPECIFIC table, but you can make a reservation.

Norwegian's older ships are like that (anything built before 2010) and I like them better for it. They do trivia, movies, live music, lesser-known theatrical performances, art auctions, etc - no theme park stuff. Heck the waterslide is being *removed* from their Jewel class ships to provide better sight lines for the pool deck stage for live music. The educational lectures often lead to selling things, though (i.e. spend 30 minutes learning about the history of watches, then 15 minutes learning about the watches for sale on board). Same with the description of ports of call (5 minutes learning about each location, followed by 5 minutes learning about the shore excursions available).

Thomas Richwine ...the gratuity is added last night on most lines...it’s the norm...aside from a casual cash tip to anyone working anywhere onboard...make em smile too...😎

I also noticed that gratuities for free at sea drinks and restaurants were added to the total cost already, as well as port fees, etc. Is this correct (asking experienced cruisers)?

Shannon McClain . Yes you are correct the gratuities for both the specialty dining and the drinks are usually included in you total cruise fare. This however does not cover the daily gratuity charges. Just got back had a great cruise!

@@thomasrichwine100 I chose to pre-pay gratuities. Does this mean that drinks' gratuities are covered? This is my first cruise and I don't want any costly surprises.

@@shannonmcclain350 ...I was trying to get an answer on this very question. We have prepared our gratuities. And now have prepaid a drink package....so will they be adding gratuities to our drink package ???

With the Free at Sea offer, Norwegian gives you your choice of free perks (like free drinks, internet, etc.). But the room with the Free at Sea offer costs more than just booking the same cabin without the perks included. For some people who wouldn't use the perks, they are better off not getting the Free at Sea offer.

The Sail Away option is the cheapest fare in any cabin type but does not include any Free at Sea extras and your cabin is randomly assigned so you can end up anywhere on the ship in that type of room, possibly in loud or undesirable locations like right under the pool where there's a lot of noise from the crew moving deck chairs while setting up early in the morning and people shouting and goofing off all day and evening, or near the night club where the music at night will come through the walls. If you want to be able to choose your stateroom, like if you specifically want midship or want to be on a particular deck, you get to choose your room plus you get anywhere from 1 to 4 of the Free at Sea offers depending on which room type. (Inside gets to choose 1 offer; Oceanview gets 2; Balcony, Mini Suite, Suite, Villa or Haven gets all 4.)

wendy meuret What is the average tipping at the end of the cruise for the various people who serve you?

Elaine Teut We wait until we get on board to let them add the tips automaton our folio, then on Day 2 or 3 I go down to Guest Services and have them remove half. If you prepay you’re tips- you can NOT make any changes on. Lard and will have to wait until you get home and file with Guest Services in Miami- good luck with that. We bring $5s, $10s and a few $20s to hand deliver to the staff that are outstanding. I usually bring a TY note and or postcards from home and a small gift from our area. The cabin stewards usually are very surprised and grateful. We tip $20 for a 3-4 day and at least $50 for a 7 day to our steward. Head waiters/bartenders/bussers: $20/$20/$5-10 And I always have ones for the pool drink folks. Amazing how much better the service gets when you give them a couple bucks. I spoke to one guest and he said he always meets and picks a bartender and tells them, “Here’s a $20 (or $50) to start the week, have my drink ready as I walk up and I’ll give you another at the end.” Best thing you can do is grab some of the vacation hero cards at the start of the cruise and keep them handy and fill them out during the week. That way I don’t forget names and I’m not filling them out last minute at the last breakfast. 😂. Honestly, those cards go to management and the staff members get recognized, promotions and bonuses. Hope this helps. 😊

We've sailed the Joy. It's fantastic compared to the older ships. You're in for a treat.

@@Cruzelycom it was and although room was not upgraded our window room was like a mini suite, it had a sitting area, two tvs, bathroom had double sinks and bathtub!! Amazing room , downside it was on the 5th floor above the crew so often noisy