holula

Aww, I'm happy for him. :) He was my fave! Well deserved promotion.

You can take the train to Freibourg in Germany and see the Black Forest. It's a gorgeous tiny town! I loved my visit there. I also really enjoyed Basel - it's a nice city to walk around.

I booked today (UK) and didn't pay 18% service charge on the UBP. With the exchange rate right now it's such a great deal.

Now Princess have increased theirs I see DCL doing it before the end of the year.

So I've been on the Epic and Oasis so I can't comment about the waterfront aspect. I though the activities on both ships were similar. There was a lot to do each day. Entertainment great on NCL. NCL has waterslides which Royal doesn't, until they introduce Harmony. I thought the food was better on NCL everywhere on the ship. The specialty dining on NCL is definitely a step above Royal. I loved Cagney's! I think the two lines are definitely more similar than they are different. NCL is a little more fun I think, and Royal is a little more refined. But very similar.

I don't think there is a EBPC next year which might be where the demand is coming from.

Edit: Never mind, there is one. Yeah, that seems weird then. The repos RARELY sell out unless it's a new interesting itinerary.

Yes, this was my experience last week. Run around and lie down on the ground where the waiters were trying to walk. For most of our meal. And these were not 'littles'. And this was on the second seating.

 

There were lots of well behaved kids, the problem is it just takes one 9 yo screaming 10 feet from you to make dinner a chore. By the last night, our server team slipped Jack Daniels (or what tasted like it) into our diet cokes.

 

(This really happened.)

 

I guess I've been off the Dream long enough now that I can conclusively say: I preferred the NCL Getaway. The concierge service on Disney was FANTASTIC, and even better than described, but it's so expensive. I liked moving around the Getaway, people-watching, walking through the public areas/atriums, etc. Moving around the Dream felt much more stressful (fewer/v. cramped elevators, fewer direct routes from aft to forward, lots of little choke points, more frequent encounters with walls of people coming the opposite direction, etc). And I was on the GA in what I assume is 'high' vacation season (June) versus the dead of post-Labor Day on Dream. Aside from trying to get out of the 80s party in Spice H20 and the day one lunch buffet, I never felt 'trapped' on the Getaway.

 

And bringing back to the original point that I think caused me to join this thread--I really liked being able to eat what kind of meal I wanted, whenever I wanted, at any level of casual or table service, while on the GA. I really missed it badly on Dream.

I basically feel the same way, except I sailed on the Epic. The Magic and the Wonder don't have the same trapped and crowded feeling that the newer ships have to me, but they lack the fun stuff now. In December I did Epic, Wonder and Freedom of the Seas within a three week span and the Wonder was definitely the most disappointing experience. The Epic has a super confusing layout but it had plentiful elevators and a good amount of pool deck and interior space. Disney just doesn't feel like it does after trying other lines.

We are not concierge people at all, but have heard great things about NCL Haven. We did concierge on the Magic (before the lounge) and apart from the huge room there was little value for money for us. We don't spend a lot of time in the room. ;)

I think you would probably enjoy Oasis class; we had friends who were in a suite and they were treated like royalty on the cruise. :) Plus there is tons to do and it felt even less crowded than Disney or even NCL.

How quickly we forget!

 

 

 

Ronn Lucas- a ventriloquist - he was quite funny.

This was the third or fourth time I've seen him and he's still funny. I like his act a lot.

Correct. I love Princess for food and service, but quite honestly their entertainment is sub par and they have very few kid-focus amenities (the kids clubs are just a room for example but the counselors supposedly do excellent with what they have). No water slides, rock walls, etc...

I agree about their entertainment. We loved the adult comedy show but other than that we felt meh about it. It's definitely geared towards an older crowd. I don't know about their kids shows. Princess does have great service and I loved their Movies Under the Stars. Their food was easily the best food on a ship I have tried! And their pizza.... Yum.

I also agree with the people who recommended the larger NCL and Royal ships. NCL Epic and Freedom and Oasis of the Seas were all fantastic ships with tons to do. Even though my husband is platinum on Disney, we have one NCL and two Royal cruises booked. Freedom class on Royal also seem to have great prices - we booked an eight night for less than $1600 for 2017.

DCL does have a casual dining option at Cabanas/BBB on each night except the first and last of a cruise. OK' date=' on a 3 night cruise that means one night, but on a 14 night cruise it means 12 nights. It is NOT a buffet. It is a sit down menu with a salad bar and a "carved item." You walk up to the podium and are seated. We've never had to wait, and the food and service were always great. Super sunset views, and virtually no kids (although they are welcome).

 

 

 

I totally agree that the experience in the MDRs is negatively impacted by poor parenting. It is somewhat better at late seating simply as there are fewer kids. One of the worst things DCL ever did was to do away with the rotation that was "adults cruising alone/older kids." However, I've also seen a few adults who were as bad as the kids......[/quote']

 

 

I know they do the more casual sit down in Cabanas but it's not a buffet. Sometimes I just want to grab something to eat and go, not sit for an hour at a meal. It's a great option to have a dinner buffet.

 

I agree about the poor parenting. But we have sat next to kids who were a dream before! They were a girl and a boy and probably 8-10ish in age. Perfectly behaved even when they dined alone (I assume parents were at Palo). We actually thanked their parents at the end of the cruise because they were SO well behaved. We have also been sat where parents let their kids run around with no regard for anyone else, which has sucked.

Our Barefoot Beach cabana was $175 last week on Oasis. We had S5.

Having now done Getaway and DCL Dream, I can say the MDR experience on DCL was pretty miserable (mostly due to poor parenting--our servers were fantastic), but more to the point I really don't like set dining times. I loved being able to eat at the buffet on GA when I wanted, or just make a cheese plate for my room, or go somewhere fancy, or go to o'sheehans.

Definitely agree with this. I wish DCL had a buffet for dinner. We did the Southern Caribbean last year and had NO desire to eat in the MDR each night as we were exhausted and sunburned. Or even have one of their rotations as My Time Dining to have some flexibility. I've seen all the shows more than once and don't need to see them again any time soon.

We LOVED the Breakaway, even on a winter cruise where we weren't able to do everything.

 

One huge difference from Disney is there is NO traditional dining, you make reservations as desired. I recommend being sure to check out both Taste and the Manhattan room.

I did the Epic last December and LOVED it. I really liked being able to eat when I was hungry as it stopped me snacking, and the service was way better than I expected too. I don't know if Breakaway does it but in the Manhattan Room on Epic they had singers in there on their dress up or don't night (or whatever it's called now). It was great.

NCL Escape-class and Breakaway-class ships have a whole lot more things to do than the Dream-class ships. Not even close in terms of self-entertainment options, specially for active people and families.

We are doing Breakaway next year and I'm excited. The ships look like they have a ton of stuff to do. While Disney used to be a pioneer in their ships, they seem to have fallen behind in recent years as all of the other lines (and by all, I mean NCL, Royal and Carnival) have added more and more to their ships.

The terminal in Miami is tiny compared to the terminal in PC. There is a separate check in line but I don't know if there is a dedicated check in area like PC has to wait.

I've used the holds a couple of times in the past. It's not a make or break for me, but if I find a great rate sometimes I want to lock that in before the rate changes. And then talk to my husband and/or work about the time off I need.

We were also on the same sailing. First time on Oasis. I think it's a very insular ship but it didn't stop me booking another cruise on Harmony for next year. :) (We also booked Freedom.) Nine of my previous cruises have been on Disney so to me it was kid-lite. :) I also agree about the food. It wasn't bad, it was just kind of there. I enjoyed the roast beef sandwiches at Central Park, and also their breakfast bagels though. I think other than Chef's Table (which I loved), the best meal I had was at Johnny Rockets. Chops didn't wow me like I was hoping. Cagney's on NCL was much better IMO, and it's cheaper too.

The all access tour looked really interesting so maybe I will do it next time now I've read your review! It sounds like I would enjoy it.

If everything else is the same (length of cruise, stateroom etc) I would pick Oasis. She needs to be experienced at least once, and $200 isn't a bad difference if everything else is the same.

I agree that Oasis is a very "insular" ship though. I felt the same way on NCL Epic.

Well, we ended up booking that January 21 2017 cruise on Freedom AND November 26 2016 on Harmony. The $50 deposit sold me. I can't believe how many inside rooms are already taken on that Harmony cruise though!

I believe they have wine versions of this on Celebrity already. Possibly another line, but I'm fairly certain it's Celebrity.

If you can drive less than four hours then I would say go for it. We drive to the ports also (but we are around five hours from Miami) and we drive down for a three night for the right price.

I like the larger ships on Royal. I liked NCL Epic a lot (haven't sailed on any other NCL ships). I also enjoyed Princess.

I'm on Royal right now and will write a report when I get home. I compared Disney to NCL and Princess on my blog here:

http://thebookofholly.wordpress.com

How was Chops? how would you compare it? I found Chops on Allure and Oasis to be more elegant and formal. It was more laid back on Quantum. Still delicious but I missed the red wine sauce the new sauce was great.

 

 

 

Cagneys I have found to be laid back on Epic and Getaway. Good food but they are so busy they are rushed and don't take care of their guests. Not enough servers. I also found that the matre d did not care at all, period. Snotty actually. Like I got the wrong food but could not get someone to help me. So I ate it cause it took so long to get and we had a show. When it was served to me I said this wasn't what I ordered and he said he would bring me my meal but never did. After 15 min and my family finishing their meals I ate it. See why its not my favorite place. We walked to the bar outside to get our own water. Cause the "excuse me's" where ignored.

I LOVED Cagney's. It's one of the best steaks I have had, period. I didn't find the service rushed at all. I could take my time and eat way too much food and my waiter was awesome. In comparison, Chops was just okay. We had a waiter who kept interrupting our group when we were trying to talk, and the steaks - which should shine - were not even close to the same quality as Cagney's. And there were only two cuts included in the $39. If I am paying $39 there is no way I am paying another $18 for my steak. I can eat on land at a great steakhouse for that. The Gruyere tater tots though... They were amazing. I could have eaten them all night. The bernaise sauce was good but I didn't like the peppercorn.

If budget allows, book both, continue to weigh options and watch prices. See how you feel down the road and at some point cancel one & transfer the funds to the other.

 

If eventually using a TA you may have some fees.

Since the deposit is only $50 for each cruise I probably will do that.

Food is so subjective. IMO RCCl has a better MDR more options, quicker service. NCL has better buffet more options and larger.

 

 

 

NCL specialties are better then RCCL with the exception of the Steak Houses RCL wins that one. Cagney's on NCL has great food but the service I have received was the worst, so bad not sure if we will even go on Escape might just order it as room service (we are in Haven). Jamie's Italian wins over NCL. But its only on Quantum class ...I think

Whereas I feel like NCL just had better food options everywhere. Food is just so subjective it's really hard to compare. And I loved Cagney's and had awesome service... Dining at Chops tonight so will compare.