FellowCollector

We are just off the Jade and enjoyed the Blazing Boots countrytribute show. I knew songs by Florida Georgia Line, recognized hearing some ofthe other performer songs before, and liked even those I wasn’t familiar with. I’dlike to compile a list in order of performance of the songs and original artists.Does anyone know any of this information? Thank you.

Does anyone know when the Princess Sky's Caribbean itineraries will be announced and open for booking? It looks like the first sailing out of FLL will be 12/1/2019.

I agree about the San Juan times, but hopefully there will be new shorex for night time (beyond luminescent kayaking). We'll still book once but would have booked multiple dates if it was daytime.

I have a call in to my PCC, but he doesn't come in until 11 AM EST. I'd like to know the specials available (such as pick 2, etc.)

 

Those times in San Juan suck. I've been to both of the other places plenty of times (even vacationing on the actual islands), so San Juan is the only one I'm excited about.

We will be on the Bliss next November 2018 to the Panama Canal in room 12700. I read that was a big cabin. I have a question about the Prohibition Happy Hour. If I have the drink plan are those drinks included?

 

Thanks.

Unlikely because it's a show which is priced for the drinks. On the beverage package, you can only get one drink at a time. I doubt they'll keep running back and forth to charge each drink separately on the UBP. They may, however, let you use a meal credit or pay a discounted price if you have SDP, but haven't seen that level of details for Bliss yet.

I was worried that the courtyard would be noisy? Is that wrong? As you all can tell, I know nothing! Thanks to all willing to put up with my ignorance and provide answers!!

Whether or not the Haven Courtyard is noisy depends on who is onboard that sailing. We've stayed in Haven multiple times on Escape, Getaway, and Epic. The area is typically pretty quiet when we're there from lunch to dinner. Only on one sailing were there 2 young unsupervised kids taking over the very small pool, but they weren't screaming and splashing if that's what you're imaging.

Also, if you weren't aware, on the newer builds, the cabins are off the courtyard in a hallway. There is glass surrounding the entire courtyard. So, you can see from the hallway, but noise is buffered. If it is a concern, look at the deck plans and choose a stateroom away from the access doors (which is probably across from 17706, 18706/4/2, 18102, and 18118). Hope that helps!

The HAL site still says $39. Could the $20 price be without the wine?

CLICK HERE

I just found another page and you are correct (see attached screen capture)! So, I guess we'll book the dinners and they'll upcharge onboard.

We received a free dinner at CAC but did pay $19.00pp for unlimited wine, so i believe you are correct catl331.

I'll let you know as I'll be on the King in 10 days

That's interesting. I guess if changed, it makes sense for people who don't drink so they don't have to pay for pairings, and also for the 5 star Mariners, the meal could be free (if that's the "class"), but then HAL can still upcharge for the wine. If this is the case, I wish they would update the website information as well as let you choose which way to book ($20 food only or $39 with pairings) in the reservation.

And, yes, that would be great if you reply after sailing if the venue décor or menu has changed any. Thanks!

The HAL site still says $39. Could the $20 price be without the wine?

CLICK HERE

I'm thinking HAL hasn't kept that page updated. It's when I'm signed into my reservation on the dining reservation page that it says Dinner $20 (see attached screen capture).

Hi, everyone. I'm wondering if anyone knows whether or not there have been menu changes in the Culinary Arts Center (CAC) recently. We enjoyed the Food & Wine Basil and Lavendar menus when we sailed December, 2016. It was $39 then, but for our upcoming cruise, the price is reduced to $20. I believe the F&W partnership has been replaced with America's Test Kitchen (ATK). But, I don't think ATK is held in the CAC. HAL still shows the same menus in .pdf on their website, so have they just kept it and are using the recipes without the partnership? If anyone has been on Koningsdam since the full fleet rollout of ATK in June, have they remodeled CAC? Thanks for any information/photos.

I booked a 10-day eastern Med for 2018 with that package. Yes, you can double the shorex.

That's completely awesome. Thanks for the information. We'll be looking at booking!

Does anyone know how Free at Sea combines with Distinctive Voyages for Haven?

Free at Sea already has beverage, dining, shorex, and wifi.

We don't care about the hotel or air credit, so does Distinctive just add the phone minutes?

Or, would it also double the shorex from 50 to 100 per port and the wifi from 250 to 500 minutes?

That would be a deal we'd consider several bookings for!

Are you referring to the top deck with the magnifying glass links? If so, there's not much behind it, and it can be found on this page..

 

http://www.bliss.ncl.com/the_Ship

Thanks; I wasn't scrolling down; I was just clicking on Deck Plans on the Meet the Ship header. But, yeah, now I see what I thought would be more pictures and information is just the shell for what will hopefully be added later.

I believe the Prohibition Happy hour was to be in Alibi comedy club as a scheduled show. From the original press relief on that and Jersey boys

Steph

Thanks for the reminder, Steph; you are correct! I re-read press release and blog printouts in our file tonight. It says Prohibition is in the comedy club select evenings as a happy hour pre-dinner show and once each cruise as a late night adults-only show.

But, did you also notice the comedy club is labeled Social on the latest deck plan?

Also, for the main theatre (in addition to Jersey boys), there was mention of a 2nd musical about Cuban culture. Anybody have more on that?

CoffeeGoddess is spotting 7 possible covered cabanas along the back wall...

 

 

Awesome catch from CoffeeGoddess! Totally missed that hint in the side of the picture, so thanks so much! We hope they are rentals and not first-come, first-served.

Also, I looked yesterday for the deck explorer you've used above but didn't find it with the reveal renderings (https://ncl.app.box.com/s/c4au4g0w1fmzy2clxt417hrr1s3h9o9s). Anybody have a direct link?

Bugger, I was looking forward to the Texas BBQ until I read 'Live Country Music'.... 🤦*♀️

The thought of a yeehaw jamboree while trying to enjoy a meal sounds terrible... [emoji86][emoji86][emoji86] reminds me of those god-awful bears at Disney...

Let's hope they offer a take out service...

 

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Hopefully, the volume of the music will be background mood so we can still talk at dinner. Nightclub loud would ruin the experience. BTW, I don't see a separate space for the Prohibition Musical Happy Hour, but perhaps the Q TX BBQ stage for music with dinner will be where the show is held. It would explain why Q is in the same place as Illusionarium/Supper Club of the sister ships, as well as why Prohibition is a daytime tasting, not a dinner show. Anybody have insight?

There are no cabanas in Vibe on Escape. I would doubt they will be there on Bliss. We like Vibe much better without those in the way of the forward view and taking up so much space.

Didn't realize that, so thanks for the information. We've been on both ships several times, but guess we've only seen the cabanas when walking through Vibe on Getaway. We normally book Haven and use the courtyard. But due to pricing in Alaska, we are trying a mini suite. So, we were hoping to get a cabana for some reserved space. Darn, but oh well ... the Observation Lounge should be a great place to hang out! Thanks again for the information.

Vibe...

 

 

I know the picture doesn't give a view of where the cabanas are on the sister ships, but we hope they are available on Bliss.

[quote=TheDougOut;53787850Margaritaville...

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We love lunches and drinks at Margaritaville on Getaway and Escape. We are so excited to have this on Bliss! It admittedly doesn't match the Alaska itinerary, but we'll still be eating there. It's perfect for the Caribbean!

Q Texas Smokehouse...

 

 

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We are pretty excited about this Deck 6 option replacing Supper Club/Illusionarium. We enjoyed the dinner shows in those Escape/Getaway venues (respectively), but once you've eaten the set menu and seen the shows once, we didn't want to pay for the same thing a second time. But, Q Texas BBQ will offer different experiences each time because of the live country music, and menu options. Yay!

"...and an expansive casino featuring hundreds of slot machines and table games to suit the likes of novice and pro gamblers alike. In a first for Norwegian, the casino will now offer a smoking and a non-smoking casino to cater to all guest preferences."

 

So is this a partitioned-off casino smoking section?

 

That would free up the entire 6-7-8 common corridors to be smoke-free, eliminating one of the most common gripes for the BA and BA+ ships.

Noticed Coco's is in the Deck 6 LeBistro spot of Getaway/Escape. On Bliss, LeBistro got moved to where the Arcade is on the sister ships, which eliminates the smoke problem for French dining, too. Perhaps moving up to Deck 17 could even give us some outside dining options (or make the sidewalk café seating a more appealing option with fresh air).

Awesome pics! I'm so excited!-We arein a Spa Minisuite on the Bliss-It seems like the Fitness Center is right above us-Will that be a noise problem for us? Anywone ever have a cabin on another NCL ship underneath the Fitness Center? The ship looks beautiful!!!!

Thanks!

We booked a spa mini suite as well, and it looks those are under the slide (staterooms 15800-15814) or pool deck by the kid's aqua park (staterooms 15200-15214). It is the spa balconies (staterooms 15242-15258) that appear to be under the fitness center and salon (staterooms 15842-15858).

I may have missed it, but is there a definite date for when these changes will happen? As another previous NCL cruiser who has loved the Uptown Grill on NCL, I have booked the Breakaway again for next January. Too much to hope for that the change wont happen until after then or maybe not at all given the

negative reactio of so many about the proposed changes.

According to NCL's specialty dining page for Getaway (https://www.ncl.com/cruise-ship/getaway/whats-on-board/Specialty-Dining), Margaritaville open 9/18/2016.

I don't remember where I found this price list when I was researching pricing information for the cabanas. It was probably in a google search images result, but it could have been somewhere on these boards. Anyway, if you click on the small attachment, you should be able to read the information a little bigger. I just thought sharing this would help some more people looking to plan their cruise budgets. Hope it helps!

In case the attachment is unreadable, it basically shows the loungers at $20 per person per day or $79 per person per 7-day cruise. Loungers do not come with an onboard credit. On port days, cabanas are $59 for 2 people with a $30 onboard credit. On sea days, cabanas are $79 for 2 people with a $30 onboard credit. A 7-day cruise cabana for 2 people is $299 with a $100 onboard credit.

...

 

Oh and Fellow Collector, Food Republic is not a 7 dollar option. It is a true a la carte not in the sdp.

We didn't eat at Food Republic, but I thought it was on the plan last December; not sure if memory is wrong or it got changed with SDP. Nonetheless, the fortunate point is that with the SDP, the dinner shows (Supper Club, Cirque, and Illusionarium) and at least some private branded dining (Ocean Blue, Bayamo, and Pinchos) are still included at a discounted flat fee. See the NCL details page on this. That is why making Margaritaville $7 under the plan for those that have it and want the option would already fit into the existing framework NCL is using. Having MV use up a meal credit just doesn't make sense.

Although I applaud your thought of how to take a 'meh' product offering (the specialty dining payment options as currently offered) and improve it to be beneficial to both company and consumer (vs the usually "I hate it, change it back" I've read on here lately) your thought process as I bold-ed above is sort of Del Rio's point.

 

You saw some value in the $24 lunch (for I'm assuming 2 people) and would probably do it twice. He just (almost) got his extra $50 out of you. Why would he then want to add into the SDP lunches, when he has you spending not just $24 but an extra $48 in the week that would have been free under your idea. Benefit to you and not NCL.

 

Del Rio wanted an extra $50 out of you, and he got all of it but $2 by just saying "pay for what used to be free". You saw value in that - and paid. NCL got their extra $48 out of you, allieviated some of the buffet crowd, and you got a dining experience that you were happy with and saw value. (I assume since you didn't say "oh that was a waste of money!")

 

In the end, I question if adding lunches would work to the model and have a positive result for all involved (consumer/corporate). Though we haven't cruised recently, I don't remember too many for fee lunch options. If it is just 1 or 2 venues on the larger ships only, then what is the point of adding it in. It then takes away that extra money NCL was making off the venue with no added benefit to anyone but the consumer.

 

In the end the company is in business to make money. There obviously is a fine line and dance that needs to go on between consumer and company, I have my feelings that NCL is trying to go in a certain direction but are going about it all wrong - but again that is just my perception.

 

I feel making a 'meh' place such as margaritaville a pay venue for lunch was a poor choice. The JB Margaritaville's I have been to, I wouldn't choose to eat at vs a free venue. I can only assume a similar experience on a ship. I don't personally see that value. You did, and that is more than fine.

 

I think the idea of a fee venue for lunch in general isn't the greatest idea (and can lead to a slippery slope to further reductions of free venues) but if you WERE going to do a fee based venue for lunch why not open one of the specialties and do a lunch menu for a fixed price - for instance Tepanyaki. I feel this would have given the same result without the headaches of the "oh they are nickle and diming us" plus how many people would like to eat a speacilty that don't because of kids, or because of the shows or because of the casino, whatever they want to grab a bite and go, vs during the day when they may be more relaxed....

Not many people say they want a new fee based restaurant that serves similar foods of what they can already get elsewhere on the ship for free.

Unfortunately, the slippery slope is already well underway as it relates to food upcharges on cruise ships. In reality, none of it is free. Some is included in the fare. Some is subsidized by that amount and upcharged. We like having dining options, and respect that for whatever reasons some others do as well and others do not.

Related to dining plans, we were not happy that NCL switched from Ultimate Dining (the UDP which was unlimited) to Specialty Dining (the SDP which only has 3 meals on a 7 day cruise). Under UDP, Margaritaville was covered. But, under SDP, it doesn't make much sense to use a credit that can be used for 3 course specialty dinners at Bistro, Cagney's, and Moderno; we don't like Teppanyaki. Thus, if NCL made Margaritaville a $7 cover charge under the SDP like Food Republic & Pinchos are, that would level out the options.

We didn't keep the Freestyle Dailies from July on Getaway, but we think one day the Ocean Raw Bar was open for a la carte lunch. So, whether a private brand (like Zakarian or Margaritavile) is a la carte and/or participates in the SDP discounting (or not) may depend on the contracts behind the scenes that are negotiated with NCL.

When we were on Escape in December, the 5 o'clock bar was usually busy all day it was open; it is covered under the Ultimate Beverage Plan (UBP). The Margaritaville restaurant got busy on port days following excursions, and on sea days around 1. But, on Getaway in July, Flamingo was essentially empty whenever we went in. Maybe people were joining others at the buffet seating so weren't eating in the Grill. To me, Flamingo was essentially an extension of the buffet anyway, so maybe rather than repeating the buffet stations, NCL can make a buffet section carrying the same Flamingo items to satisy those who will miss the Cuban offerings. It would make sense for the ships (such as Sky that has an upcoming Spring 2017 drydock) that might be stopping at Havana soon.

P.S. It may be a typo, but on the NCL partners page, it shows Star getting MV as well!https://www.ncl.com/partners/margaritaville