Fifi1910
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Posts posted by Fifi1910
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I agree, you have to see it and I agree these people who are camped out are the problem. And there is a difference between the guy who fell asleep while reading or whatever and the people who laid out across a couch.
Do you mean the windows up front or any window? On a TA I can see where this would happen. I assume the weather wasn't conducive to being outside, so, I understand people would want to hang out in the OL. I expect I would want to spend a large chunk of my day there, it's a gorgeous space. It's really no different than a warm weather cruise and people finding a spot they like outside and spending a good part of the day there
Even the seats by the side windows were full everyday. We had fog for three days and you couldn’t see more than 6ft in front of you, still all the window seats were full !!!
Strange thing is at night it was completely dead up there, shame as it would be a nice venue for a bit of jazz or similar music and a bit of dancing.
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Getting back to the discussion of the Observation Lounge, not the pool or buffet, since I just got off the Bliss, I have an a couple of comments. The OL is a beautiful area and really quite large, however, the best view is right in front with limited viewing area. Congratulations to those that were able to score those seats. Seeing the best part of the glaciers took 1-2 hours and it occurred around dinner time. I attempted to get up front just for taking a picture and was met with rude comments, in fact some nasty comments and dirty looks, I explained just needed 30 seconds to get a full view picture and had dinner reservations so I wouldn't be staying. Didn't matter, no one wanted to share even 30 seconds of their precious view. Just common courtesy would go a long way. Families had their children up front on floor playing and not even viewing the scenery which took up prime real estate. I would never remove another persons belongings, though I would have liked to, but thats not my thing. It is true that people were on the couches and loungers sprawled out sleeping, some with bare feet, some had a pile of dirty dishes and glasses on the floor next to them. I can see this beautiful area becoming trashed very shortly.
I don’t think you can truly appreciate the OL until you’ve seen it for yourself. On the TA we saw people sleeping for hours with blankets and towels with plates and glasses piled up.
We were never able to get a seat by the windows and we were in the middle of the Atlantic with nothing but sea for miles.
It is a beautiful space but it needs to be managed better.
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We were on the transatlantic, in 12 days, 9 of which were sea days we only ever got a seat by the buffet or at the bar ( not a bad thing ). People were camped out all day, sleeping on the chairs and sofas. People put pool towels down to reserve chairs. The ship was only half full.
I can imagine on an Alaskan cruise it would be worse with everyone vying for the best seats.
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If we did the bliss again we’d make sure the bed was next to the balcony. Our room was the other way-round and there was barely 8” at the end of the bed to get past. We’re both quite slim and it was tricky. Getting dressed was a bit of a laugh. A lot of sideways walking.
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We were in 14220 our bed was near bathroom. Next door was bed by the balcony.
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We prebooked all our dining on the bliss.
Unfortunately the night we went to Q was the one night there was no live music. We felt there was no atmosphere in the restaurant without the music, it felt a bit like a cheap diner.
I had brisket and it was tough, other half had beef short ribs which weren’t the best.
When you compare it to the Bistro or Cagneys there’s no comparison.
We didn’t feel it was worthy of the speciality dining fee.
Ocean blue was ok, we expected more for the extra up-charge.
The scallop entree was so small, smallest scallops I’ve ever seen.
LosLobos was good, guacamole made table side is amazing.
We had pork tacos which were really good.
La cucina new menu is a vast improvement, osso bucco was amazing.
The only restaurant that was ever busy was Cagneys, all the others were always empty.
We ate a couple of times in the main dining rooms and never had a bad meal.
At the end of the day food is very subjective and this is just my opinion.
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We just did the Bliss inaugural.
Whilst it was a great cruise there was nothing to make it any different from a regular cruise.
From what I have seen online all the pizazz was saved for the pre and post cruise for travel professionals.
Sailing into NYC at 1am was amazing, only slightly hampered by the crew jet washing the decks down at the same time.
As I said it was an amazing cruise but then we’ve never had one that wasn’t.
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Still wondering why Cruise Critic is not allowing/mentioning pax reviews of the Bliss:
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Curious; Was Dori Saltzman, Cruise Critic Senior Editor, on the Inaugural TransAtlantic?
I’m looking forward to reading your review #shipshape.
I don’t know whether I’ll do one, everything was excellent from what I can remember through the martini haze !
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Can’t wait for your live review......oh wait I don’t need to we’ll be there too.
Still following though.
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Yes! Remember you well, especially your comment about the "scrum" outside the Haven!:D We're off to Italy next on Oceania this August, Venice to Rome.
I think the ship was full to capacity, there were a lot of people out there.
If I remember rightly people were fighting over sun loungers around the pools.
Venice to Rome sounds amazing, enjoy.
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I am liking the sound of a blue cheese olive Martini! Where would I get one of these from?
It was a make it yourself affair !
Blue cheese and olives from the buffet and then a martini from the bar. Perfect combo.
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So second NCL cruise but 33rd overall. Stayed in Haven both times ( Escape and Epic). Here's my take on the Good, Bad, and Ugly:
The Good:
Epic's Haven physically is superior to that of Escape. Well appointed and the addition of Posh is a plus. My Grandkids loved having the separate pool as you couldn't get near the main one.
Haven breakfasts were brilliant. All the choice you could want and REAL eggs, not the liquid stuff in the buffet. Haven lunch and dinner menus are always the same so that limits the number of times you may want to eat in the Epic Club but the food was generally better than any other dining venue on board. Epic's Concierge was a big asset. Guided us to tenders, off ship at ports, and best of all, expedited disembarkation. Captain and staff were friendly and efficient. Kids enjoyed the Rock Wall and Toilet Bowl of Death! I enjoyed the Martini Bar.
The Bad:
The Premium unlimited wifi is a joke. Experienced a lot of down time and the speed was no better than normal cruddy ship wifi. I would not waste my $$ again. It took 3 days for Bowen, the Concierge to get our free dinner at Le Bistro confirmed (AMEX benefit) despite having it posted on cruise record. He ended up having to call Miami to get it sorted. Venues outside Haven were a scrum. As others have noted, the lack of midship elevators definitely slowed down using the forward and aft ones. Dinner in Le Bistro was very good and worth going although the Dover Sole was a little overcooked. Cagney's also very good. Both times our waiter announced that we could only get 1 app and 1 entree. Both times I replied , "I know you have to say that but we will order extra apps". No problem and no charge. On Escape, there was fruited ice water and M&M's available poolside every day. On Epic, they apparently abandoned ship.
The Ugly:
I expected La Cucina, being a specialty restaurant, to be much better than it was. Wife and I had the Branzino and it was so overcooked it was inedible. Pasta was as far from al dente as you could get. Avoid the free Chinese venue, Shanghai, at all costs. Egg roll starters came out burnt -seriously, burned and hard as a rock. I would be embarrassed to serve such. Fried Rice was OK but the Chow Fun was a gloppy congealed mess that did not use Chow Fun noodles. Best thing about it was the Azuki Bean and Chestnut pastries with Green Tea ice cream. No lobster anywhere, not even for an upcharge?? And why, in this day and age, does NCL still allow smoking in the open air Casino? We sat down to lunch at Taste one afternoon and had to leave due to the overpowering smell of cigarette smoke. I'm a former smoker, and if someone wants to prematurely end their life, that's their business. Just don't try to take me with you.
So, overall, ship was well appointed, food needs some serious work, and Haven is the only way I would ever sail NCL but they need to step it up on their menus and provide different ones during the cruise as Princess and Celebrity now do. There are many other choices out there with better food such as Celebrity, Princess, and now MSC. As always, YMMV.
Hi I think we were on the Escape with you February ‘16.
Enjoyed cocktails with you and your son most afternoons.
You got me hooked on blue cheese olives in my martinis.
Hope you and your family are well.
Fiona.
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I don't know why but reminds me of ....
after everyone else goes to sleep.
[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]🤣🤣🤣
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"Caliente" to replace the Glow Party?
We'll see if this happens on our TransAtlatic Cruise;
Pool Deck:
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Caliente - an Urban Street party with a pop-latin feel
Urban street party with hats and scarves more like !
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Caliente - an Urban Street party with a pop-latin feel
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We have been cruising for just over two years now and are addicted to it. We love NCL, have taken six cruises and have four more booked. We have booked various balcony categories but at some point would love to book a Haven Suite for a special treat. Last week on the Epic we approached guest services and asked if we could get a tour of the Haven section of the ship. We were abruptly and emphatically told that “ordinary people” were not allowed in the Haven. Personally I never buy products and services with investigating them first, so I’m wondering what I can do to make an informed decision or perhaps how we can bridge the gap between ordinary and extraordinary.
We were on the Epic in a mini suite and spoke to the cruise next consultant about potentially booking more cruises.
We asked her if we could look round the Haven, she was more than happy to show us around on disembarkation morning when guests had left their cabins. She spent quite some time with us, introduced us to the concierge, explained all the benefits.
When she showed us into the Haven restaurant the executive chef was in there and he too was happy to speak to us.
We are very ordinary people.
I think you caught the wrong person on the wrong day.
They shouldn’t have treated you like that.
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They were Mark from SA and Branko from Serbia when we were on there. Brilliant bar tenders. Absolutely made our cruise.
I'd love to catch up with them again. Hoping they'll be on the Bliss inaugural.
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I can recommend the family suites on deck 12. They sleep 6 in one large space with divider walls and curtains. Large bathroom. Breakfast and lunch in Moderno.
Butler service. In suite dining included at no extra charge.
Very near the pool deck and biergarten.
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Hi
We stayed at Elite residence hotel in Mestre.
They do a fly to cruise package.
They pick you up from airport, welcome drink in bar, bed and breakfast and transfer to cruise terminal in the morning.
Made it very easy not having to arrange cabs.
No lugging cases around Venice.
The tram stop is a 5 minute walk and you're in Venice in 15 minutes €3 return.
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Hi your butler can bring you food from any restaurant on the ship.
If it's from a speciality restaurant you'll pay, unless it's included with your dining package. If it's from a complementary restaurant then it's free.
We had breakfast a few times, just wrote on the door card what we wanted ( card only lists cold items, we just added hot items ourself ) and our butler brought it and served it on a white table cloth at the time we had specified.
Our butler was great, nothing was too much trouble.
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That is very good to know that some things can not be used as a couple. Do you know what can be used as a couple? I was on the Star with my mom, aunt and sister but we did not purchase the spa passes because not everyone would have gone. This time it is just my husband and myself to celebrate being married 27 years. We have used the Thermal spa on the Epic, Pearl, and the Getaway in the past and loved it, but have not used one on a smaller ship. Thanks
The pool, jacuzzi and cooler spa tub are all in the main area as are the loungers. No heated loungers though :(
It is a lovely view especially whilst in port.
We've done the spa on the Epic and Escape and it doesn't compare with either, but then it is a much smaller ship.
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We are sailing on the Star in September and wondered if anyone can tell me if you can purchase the Thermal Spa passes online prior to sailing or do I need to wait until we get on the ship to purchase them? Thank you 😊
We purchased ours before sailing.
We only went the once, it's quite a small area.
The steam and sauna rooms are in the male/female areas so you can't use them as a couple.
There are nice relaxation rooms but they too are in the separate areas.
It so warm and sunny on our cruise we always preferred to be outside.
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That's great. Thank you Fifi1910 for your reply. Did you notice if all the sun loungers were taken up or is there always somewhere on the ship where you can lie and relax and do a spot of sunbathing.
There were a couple of times it was busy. People do seem to reserve beds early with towels and then not show up until late afternoon.
We always managed to find beds somewhere, but there were just the two of us.
It's a good atmosphere around the pool when the band are playing at sail away, we sat down there a few times.
“Chair hogging” in Observation Lounge.
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Hopefully that wasn’t me, although I was at the bar most of the time.
In all honesty we never sat on the loungers in there they were too far away from the martinis for me.
I’d forgotten about the music, even the bar staff thought it sent people to sleep.
Fiona.
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