Biffire

I think you need to maintain a positive attitude, if you look for/expect problems, you will find them. I am sorry your husband has health problems that affect his frustration level. Having a GM board during your cruise, no matter how good he/she is does not give the GM time to evaluate or propose solutions to any perceived issues. I hope you enjoy your cruise.

I always enjoy the food at Teppanyaki, I get the shrimp and scallops, we've seen the show several times, It is loud with the chefs banging their tools and the exhaust fans. I sometimes don't understand everything the chef says due to the noise and strong accent, and perhaps my hearing isn't 100 % any longer. I am polite and try to listen. The fried rice is always good and I really enjoy the seafood. You can interact with the other table mates as little or as much as you want, but with the fans it is difficult.

I really like the salad bar at Moderno. We have been their several times as well. I can only eat so much meat before the dreaded meat coma sets in. I will eat small portions of my favorites and skip my less favorites. The pineapple is the best part. 

We have 4 specialty nights on the Epic in November, we will be doing, Teppanyaki, Moderno, La Cuchina and Cagney's, skipping La Bistro this time. 

I often see posts about upcoming dry dock refurbs. Where is that schedule found for NCL ships?

FredFlint

Thank you for posting the menus, Nice to know  what to expect.

I have cruised NCL 15 times, but never from a foreign port. The best I can tell is the arrival time does not matter when you actually arrive at the port. They try to space out your port arrival times to reduce waiting times. I never have had anyone at the port check my arrival times. 

I am hoping they keep the free food and use of your beverage packages on the island. Hoping they don't eliminate those amenities and start charging like Harvest Cay. I know the circumstances are different, but they are spending big bucks. Looking forward to multiple pools, I like to be in the ocean, but wifey likes pools. 

I am happy about the pier at GSC. The tendering was often slow and sometimes the weather is not conducive to a safe tender experience. 

We signed up for a November Cruise, with free DSC, I asked our TA and she said it was a promotion from NCL. Not sure how it affects the cruise line employees. First time we have ever had this option, it does appear on our invoice from the TA.

We used to eat at the buffet on embarkation day, but it was always a zoo, crowded and people toting their carry ons. Finally learned that either taste or savor would be open, quiet and calm.  Vacation starts once we sit down for day 1 lunch. I agree staff readily give directions to the buffet, but we jujst head for the MDR. 

My last few cruises, the Syd Norman"s, or cavern club, had the best entertainment aboard, The Fleetwood Mack and Beatles shows were very good. The venue is too small and limits who can watch the show, and requires a ridiculous stand in line time, but the performers were very good. 

I wish they would have hot tubs for the young children. My last cruise was on the Joy in May of 2023. I am 60 something male, and a big part of my cruise experience is spending time in the hot tubs. A few times I would be in the hot tub, and about 5 little girls jumped in the hot tub, splashing, diving, coming up way to close to me. The parents thought it was fine. There is a big hot tub for adults only in Spice H20, but it is undercover. My wife enjoys the sun, so we had to be separated. I think having a hot tub for children, and their family would be a good idea. Some NCL ships designate hot tubs for adults only, with one for families. Kids love the warm water, but do not understand it is not for swimming, splashing diving underwater.

We u8sually have our TA book our specialty dining reservations for us. 2 FAS and 2 Platinum, never been charged in advance like some people have been. In my experience different ports to the priority embarkation differently. One time we were shown to a priority line, but ended up at the same place as our friends who were not priority we had a shorter line, but fewer staff. 

You get the 2X2 dinners each cruise you take once you earn platinum status. 

I think the concerns are valid. They will continue as long as the cruiselines are sailing at/near capacity. They lost boat loads of money due to the pandemic. As long as we cruise lovers continue to pay more money for a lesser experience they will continue the trend. Many of us are hooked on cruising and we tell our friends and family how great it is, increasing their customer base. I still enjoy cruising, although we only go once per year. I think airfare is getting out of control as well, which affects the overall cost of our cruise vacations, and that applies to a lot of other cruisers. I did a little math, estimating the costs of 3 meals per day, 7 nights lodging at an ocean front resort, entertainment tickets, drinks etc. So far cruising is somewhat of a value. I do believe if NCL ever drops the free at specialty dining and drink packages that I would have to reconsider my loyalty to NCL.

I did the free tour for Platinum members, on the Joy last May, which I believe is shorter than the paid tour. It was interesting, a couple of things to keep in mind. There were 24 people in our group, Some of the areas are noisy. Trying to hear/understand some one with a soft voice, accent, or not being right next to the various people who give the tour can affect your enjoyment. I will go on the free tour, but would not pay the $139 X 2 people. But that is just me. If you want to hear the tour guides, stay close. 

We used to always head to the buffet, which is normally a zoo on day one. We got tired of fighting for a table, and with people who kept their bags taking up room. Now we head to whichever MDR is open, and sit and relax. As soon as we sit down, we go into vacation mode, can't wait for November. 

We tried Q on the Joy in May of 2023. I had the pitmaster platter plenty of food. I enjoyed it, however I am certainly not an expert in BBQ, your standards may be much higher. We also stopped by a few times just to listen to the music. 

Some of the specialty restaurants do have a few entrees that you have to pay an extra charge for. We went to the seafood venue, and I used our FAS but had to pay extra for the lobster, (was not worth it).

I really enjoy the salad bar. The pineapple is so good. I could happily just eat those and still enjoy it, but luckily there is always several meat choices. 

On 5/12/2023 at 6:49 AM, TampaGambler said:

A good one for hanging by the pool is a Miami Vice…

Many of those have been consumed by me in a hot tub.

On 5/11/2023 at 5:02 PM, itsbaker said:

Mango Meltdown!!!

They go down very easily on a warm afternoon on the pool deck!

Being on the ocean

The all inclusive aspect

Lots of food already paid for

The Free at sea beverage package

Multiple ports in one week

Entertainment options

Being away from the work cell phone

Always feel safe on the ship

The hot tubs

40 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

I came here to ask if the MDR food has improved since 2018. It was an utter disaster on the Getaway and the reason we swore off NCL.

But NCL has a reasonably priced cruise on a reasonably new ship, so I am considering it again. But if the food is still inedible.... 

Food is subjective, I never have an issue finding something I like. I have to admit we are not picky or foodies. I have never encountered anything inedible.I did have one meal where I did not order an entree, just a few appetizers, because there were several that I really wanted to try, and they are usually pretty small.  I finally made Platinum, so with the 2 free at sea specialty dinners, and the 2 latitude dinners, I only eat in the MDR 3 times per cruise. We always make our specialty dining reservations months in advance. The down side is you do not know which nights a favorite dish might be offered in the MDR, First world problems I guess.

We have enjoyed two cruises on the Dawn. It is my belief that the NCL ships all  utilize the same menu, with the same recipes. The crew all rotate on and off the ship every few months, with constant turn over. Some meals will be better than others, But I don't think anyone could draw a conclusion that food on one ship is better than the food on another ship. Will there be better food production crews sometimes? probably, but due to the constant crew rotation, I think that any differences are only temporary.

I am hearing about staff shortages on NCL. I doubt they will be devoting a lot of personnel resources to patrolling the pool deck with a watch to automatically remove towels and belongings from the sun loungers.