14 hours ago, Cobrakev said:

DO you think i would be saying this if it didnt happen? I am telling you what I was told (refused service) from different bartenders. A persons S/S card is only allowed 15 total drinks to be shown on their S/S card in a 24 hour period. SO IF YOU BUY DRINKS IN HMC, THOSE DRINK WILL BE SUBTRACTED FROM THE 15 TOTAL DRINKS (if you use the cheer's package or not) YOU CAN HAVE IN THE 24 HOUR PERIOD. Now are there bartenders that will give you a drink beyond the 15? Im sure there are. I had to have other people buy drinks for me after I was cut off after 15 drinks. This also counts toward the DOU card also, so dont be surprised if that happens too. 

Sorry, but I don't believe you either.  If you have Cheers and are on the ship and "pay" for a couple drinks during the day (instead of asking them to be charged to your CHEERS) those drink you pay for do not count against your 15.  People do this all the time, when they reach 14 drinks, they just pay for drinks so as not to reach their 15 on CHEERS.  Once you reach your 15 "FREE/included in package" drinks, then you are cut off.  If you start buying drinks at 14, you can drink 10 more if you want, until you order that last 1 on the package.  Once you hit 15 included drinks, then you are cut off.  What is the difference if you buy  3 drinks on the island or buy 3 drinks on the ship?   Neither will count against your 15 package drinks.

16 hours ago, RoperDK said:

We've been disappointed with the dinner buffet options on Carnival for the last several years.  They seem to be scaling them down more and more.  Know there must be a happy medium between offering fresh tasty hot options and not wasting a bunch of food.  We don't do the MDR anymore and used to be totally happy with the buffet.  Not so much anymore.  We pick and choose and there is always the deli.  Would prefer more tasty options.  Emphasis on tasty. Quality over quantity.  We survive, but other cruise lines do better IMO. 

I totally agree on the "Quality over Quantity"!  If they are spending the money for the ingredients, it's not that hard to make the food taste good!

GoPort Canaveral is wonderful!

On 4/1/2019 at 10:44 PM, Jessieasanders said:

Entertainment:

 

My husband participated in a few different games in the Atrium ... which is always good for a few laughs.

 

We also enjoyed Howl at The Moon a few different times, and even dragged our 2 teen girls who ended up enjoying the show as well. 

 

We went to the magician’s show ... and were pleasantly surprised by his show because we saw him on Worlds Best and weren’t impressed.  But his show on the ship was pretty darn good, and he was funny. Much funnier than the comedians we saw on the ship.

 

Unfortunatly the comedians weren’t all that great.  I wondered if it was due to the fact that we went to the early shows and there were a lot of young kids at those shows so the comedians had to keep it very G rated.

 

The highlight of the entertainment was Choir of Man.  That was a fantastic show!  If you want to ‘participate’ in the show sit on the aisle seats close to the stage. I’m hoping when they go on tour they come to a city near me because we will go to see them again.

I totally agree about the comedians!  Terrible, terrible.  And not just on the Escape (which we just got off last month), but we were on the Breakaway out of NYC the three previous years and all four cruises the comedians were really bad.  That is one thing Carnival has over NCL.  Carnival usually has great stand up routines, and they fly new comedians in half way through the cruise.  That really gives a variety of comedians.

After googled it, I came up with this article.  It is five year old so I was wondering if they still included it or have changed it:

Carnival All You Can Drink Package Expands to Half Moon Cay:

https://cruiseradio.net/carnivals-all-you-can-drink-package-expands-to-half-moon-cay/

Just wondering if Carnival allows the use of cheers package while on Half Moon Cay?  

43 minutes ago, shof515 said:

yes. this is the first cruise for the sunrise. i have to wait 6 weeks to sail on it 😞

I have 28 more days!  Can't wait.

Anyone that might be sailing on the new Sunrise, please post pictures or reviews!  Can't wait to see what the new (old Triumph) ship looks like!  I believe today is the first cruise since dry dock.

On 4/22/2019 at 9:54 AM, bdever said:

UGH 😑 that’s exactly what I was afraid of. So inconvenient to have an outside bar with no outside bar service. I am not sure why they do this on Vista class ships as it doesn’t make any sense to have a brand new beautiful bar with no one serving from it. Thanks for responding as my question was for you and not for Jim. 

We never had trouble getting a drink outside.  We would just stand at the bar, and if they were inside restocking or something, they would come right out to serve you.  We never went inside, although it is only four or five steps until you are inside!  No big deal really.  

The Havana bar is open to everyone on the ship all the time.  There is a bar in the Havana pool area that is just for Havana guest.

On 4/15/2019 at 11:42 AM, FLAHAM said:

The seafood restaurant on the Escape offered both cold water lobster tail and cold water steamed whole cold water lobster on my Caribbean cruise out of New York in January.  Unfortunately, both are previously frozen.  The tail was large and reasonably good,but the lobster flavor was covered by the oriental vegetables and sauce (soy?) that they put over it.  The whole lobster was small and not particularly good--I can see why the waiter tried to steer me to the tail both times. 

Unfortunately, they charge a $15 upcharge to eat at that restaurant, plus they charge and additional $9.99 to order lobster, plus you have to use one dinner credit.  All those extras just to get lobster on a cruise ship!  When Carnival serves them for free in the dining room!

I'd say I'm just about at that point with all the changes NCL has made.  I've always been their biggest cheerleader, raving about our cruises.  We've been on the Breakaway three years in a row and just got off the Escape two weeks ago.  Starting way back:  they've taken lobster out of the main dining room, then lobster out of Cagney's, now Le Bristo and Food Republic.  The only place to get lobster is Bayamo and then they charge you an additional $10 on top of using a dining credit on on top of charging a $15 upcharge to eat there!.  They even want to charge extra for shrimp at Bayamo!  This is total BS and I feel they are just gouging their customers.  Carnival and RCL has lobster for free in the main dining room.  Funny how they can afford to do it, but NCL can't?  Also, It really rubbed me the wrong way when they announced they were implementing the Premium Beverage Package of $29.99 a day extra, in addition to using one of your free perks on the drink package.  After paying the gratuities, plus the $29.99 a day, guess what?  They are charging the same price as Carnival's $55/day Cheers package.  I have booked my next cruise on Carnival and will not be returning to NCL.  

22 hours ago, slugg said:

I completely agree with you.

 

I do think the move to eliminate lobster is more about maximizing profits than any kind of loss due to abuse. The thing is, even if they instituted a limit to how many tails a passenger may order, it would detract from their upcharged specialty restaurants that serve lobster. THIS is the real reason.

 

NCL has the “upcharge culture” deeply engrained in its product offering, whereas RCCL is more balanced. But at the end of the day, with everything tabulated, they pretty much charge the same, but those charges add up differently.

 

So again, I believe the lack of included lobster is purely to drive more sales of upcharged lobster, not to minimize the cost of abusive consumption. 

But now NCL has eliminated lobster from every specialty restaurant except Bayamo, which they now charge extra in addition to using the dining credit.  I used to think that was their way of getting you to eat in specialty restaurants but now I don't think so.  They even took the lobster roll out of Food Republic, a restaurant where people were paying for the lobster!

23 hours ago, CruisingNole said:

 

In MDR on Royal, lobster tails are free one night per cruise. As many as you want. I have heard of people eating 20+. I usually do 3, accompanied by prime rib. The servers de-shell each tail for you at the table.

 

Don't justify the corporation being cheap. I find it hard to believe lobster tail costs them any more than a good cut of beef. I get them at the grocery store when they are on sale for less than $5 each. Keep in mind at the massive quantities Royal purchases them at, they are definitely paying less than $1 a tail. NCL would pay the same. If Royal can afford to do it, so can NCL.

Carnival has lobster night on 6 day or longer cruises as well.  Funny how other lines can afford it and NCL can't.   They've taken the lobster off Cagney's menu, and Teppanyaki and Le Bristro (as well as the main dining room).  They even took lobster rolls off the Food Republic menu!  I just got off the Escape and they only have lobster at Bayamo and it is $9.99 extra, on top of using one of your specialty dining credits!    But Carnival and RCL can offer lobster for free in their main dining room?  I call BS NCL!

The inside rooms on Breakaway are super small!  My to adult sons shared one and they said they both couldn't move around in the room at the same time.  One had to lay on the bed while the other unpacked.  One has cruised in the Solo cabins before and he said they were almost the same size!

20 hours ago, JaniceB said:

Thanks for the well written review.  I didn't realize the casino didn't have any tables or chairs around the bar, we like to hang out on other ships there.  Did they not put the hot tubs on deck 5 like the breeze has?  I have made speciality dining reservations for my Horizon cruise since many have complained about the MDR.  I will try it a few nights and hopefully enjoy it.  I always bring a drink with me to dinner.  Lately drink staff has been hard to find in the MDR.

the hot tubs on deck 5 are for Havana guest only.  They have two and we never had a problem getting in one.  But we did pay extra for that exclusive area.

20 hours ago, VentureMan_2000 said:

My drink of choice is a Long Island Iced Tea (no tequila).

If I request, will they make it with Gray Goose, Bacardi rum, Bombay Sapphire Gin, and Grand Marnier ?

When we asked the bartenders said they have to use the pre-mixed Long Island Ice Tea mixture.  I'm assuming they use the rot-gut stuff for that because it was awful!  Missed not ordering my top-shelf Long Islands.  NCL had the same policy!

We've missed one out of four stops to GSC, all in March or April.  

Just a note, when we missed last year, NCL gave each of us $25 OBC.  But we sailed Carnival Horizon last June and missed GSC and they gave each of us $330 towards another cruise!  So we have $660 paid for our upcoming Panama Canal cruise on the new Sunrise!  I realize neither cruise line had to compensate in anyway, but it sure was a nice surprise when Carnival did that!

On 4/2/2019 at 3:13 PM, firstimecruiseronncl said:

I think Food Republic has lobster rolls. 

No, they definitely do not have lobster rolls.    I just got off the Escape Sunday.  I went into Food Republic and specifically asked.  Just to make sure, we asked to see the menu as well.  They said they took lobster rolls off the menu two months ago on the Escape.

1 hour ago, FLcruisergrl said:

Does the Ocean Blue waterfront still have lobster rolls?

 

They don't have lobster rolls anywhere on Escape.  Believe me, I just got off Sunday and I asked at every restaurant!  Very disappointed due to the Breakaway having the Ocean Blue walk up window.

On 2/20/2019 at 5:13 PM, FLAHAM said:

Has no relation to the seafood restaurant's menu on the Escape.

yes, the Escape menu has changed as well.  I just got off Sunday and was very disappointed to see the additional charge on top of the upcharge for the restaurant.

..

On 2/15/2019 at 7:05 PM, Partyatsea said:

We got off the Breakaway on Feb. 7th and used one of our SDP credits at Ocean Blu with the $12 upcharge per person.

We had shrimp cocktail and the surf and turf (filet & Maine lobster tail) and paid nothing additional. We were celebrating a birthday and the food and service could not have been better. By far the best meal we had the entire cruise.

 

Maybe it varies from ship to ship.

Just got off the Escape and was surprised to see the additional upcharge for lobster and shrimp, on top of the upcharge for the restaurant.  When I inquired, they informed me that the change was made two months ago.  Your Feb. cruise was probably before the change in the menu was made.

9 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

The newest Bayamo by Ocean Blue menu

 

Just got off Escape on Sunday.  I'm so disappointed in NCL for now charging an up charge for lobster, after already paying an up charge to eat at this particular specialty restaurant!  Really?  $15 up charge in addition to one of your free at sea restaurant choices.  Then pay another $9.99 to get lobster.  First they take lobster out of the Main Dining room, then they take it out of Cagney's, then they take lobster out of Food Republic (lobster rolls).  I've sailed the Breakaway 3 times out of NYC and this year Escape.  Each cruise things have been eliminated.  It is starting to not be my favorite cruise line anymore!  

22 hours ago, Animal Farm said:

Try the Cucumber Sunrise at the Alchemy bar. It's not too sweet. You can also tell them what you like - ie. Key Lime Pie and they'll make something up that tastes like it. It was delicious! 

Ditto on the Cucumber Sunrise at the Alchemy bar!  Very refreshing, not sweet but very fresh flavors!