ExpatBride

I'm in my mid-40s and agree with you. Part of the reason I fell in love with cruising was because in a way, it felt like a step back to a nicer and more elegant time. Unfortunately, I think COVID might've cost us that as cruise lines cut back to save money, and cruise passengers dig in their heels on dressing up.

12 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

I have seen a few ladies wear excessive (to me) amounts of jewelry, but hey they want to look pretty and I sure hope it was costume jewelry, not the real stuff! 

 

Why would you hope it was costume jewellery? I collect antique and vintage jewels, and formal nights are one of the few times a year I get to wear my most beautiful pieces. I'd be mortified if someone thought I was wearing fake, tacky jewellery. Admittedly, I can usually tell what's what 🤣 

To the OP, I understand where you're coming from. It's her daughter/grandkids and it's partly your money. My SO has kids and I don't. I have to swallow a lot of 💩 to keep the peace sometimes. This would get my dander up, too. I don't like paying for other people's lavish choices.

16 hours ago, tobymurph said:

Oh no Haljo I dont see the scallops on your menu but they're on the sample menu on the HAL website. I dont eat red meat so hoping they're being offered.  

Same! That's pretty much the only thing on the Pinnacle menu that's vaguely interesting to me. Their vegetarian options look sub-standard for a "specialty" venue.

56 minutes ago, Crazy For Cats said:

On last weeks Zaandam cruise muster was watch the video and check in at muster station.  Very quick and easy.

That's definitely an improvement over the old system. Thanks for your reply.

It looks like Princess is doing DIY muster drills... watch a video, check-in at your muster station. Is this also the case on HAL?

Not that it really matters, I'm just curious 😊

39 minutes ago, BklynBoy8 said:

Coco.......also needs to be made right not with flavoring but with the milk and grated fresh coconut and base. Great!

Yes! It can't be coconut extract. I use creamed coconut, which still has some flakes in it – along with cream, milk, sugar, and eggs. Absolutely delicious!!! 

Cinnamon or coconut, both of which are unfortunately not very common. I often make it myself.

24 minutes ago, SeekingKillerWhales! said:

We'll have to agree to disagree on this one. No one has to thank anyone who is rude or demeaning to them,

I didn't see anyone being rude or bullying. If the OP only wanted to hear from people who "were sympathetic," they should've stuck to discussing it with their family/friends.

In the end, it doesn't matter whether they were being unreasonable, NCL was going to make a call one way or the other and that's that. It's irrelevant what a bunch of people on the Internet think because none of us are the ones making the final call.

On 5/7/2023 at 8:20 PM, FlaggMary said:

We are on an Oceania cruise in Norway, late July. Are the shore excursions really worth it or it’s just cruising through the fjords the real highlight? 

I'll cruise the fjords for my fourth time in late July.  I've only ever been the ship once, in Bergen. The scenery is the highlight for me and why I stick to Norwegian itineraries.

3 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

The lady at the onboard shop on the Apex said the LV bags were brand new and came from LV's warehouse. Older styles but beautiful bags. There were 4 different styles only one sold on my 15 night TA.  Ranged in price from $2100 to $2400.  Last fall on the Equinox there were 2 bags in the shop.

I doubt that. Louis Vuitton is pretty vocal about not discounting their bags or selling them outside of LV boutiques.

You're visiting my city, I live in Aarhus! I'd be curious to hear your thoughts because I love living here but I don't think of it as somewhere I'd want to visit on holiday. I'm amazed by the number of cruise ships we get. I'm sailing on NS later this summer, so I'm planning to go down to the harbour and have a look.

1 minute ago, cassie55 said:

... but they obviously don't care about our loyalty.       

No, they don't. They wouldn't even comp our room service after my ex had an onboard medical emergency that cost thousands of dollars in medical expenses (fortunately we had insurance) and obviously ruined the rest of our trip. It would've cost NCL nothing to be kind, and it would've made a sad situation better. That along with other bits and bobs along the way is why I gave up my loyalty status to try other lines. 

Deadlines are deadlines and rules are rules – but the first rule of building and retaining customer loyalty is that you reward loyalty. 

How much over the FCC are you looking to pay? Given tight margins all around, that might play a part in why they're being sticklers.

1 hour ago, alyssamma said:

Menu...it irks me I can't see the menu until the day of. This means when I book a specialty restaurant, I'm hoping the MDR won't be serving something I like. 

Have you asked to see the next day's menu or are you relying on the app? I'm a vegetarian, so I need to order a day in advance if I want something from the special menu. They've always brought me the next day's MDR menu along with the vegetarian menu, if I ask.

9 hours ago, ldtr said:

 

HAL passengers want relatively low prices and relatively smaller ship sizes.  If prices did not matter they would all be on Premium lines such as Azamara, Oceania, Viking, etc with their smaller ships.  

That's not strictly true. We're a couple who can afford whatever we want within reason. Premium lines are "within reason" for us, but we're not interested.

We're in our 40s, which makes us younger than HAL's core demographic, but we prefer smaller ships and a quiet onboard experience, so HAL is a good fit there. My SO is Danish and Danes tend to be pretty informal and laid back, so a true luxury experience would not be relaxing for him – HAL is almost just right. When we cruise, the ship is our destination. We rarely get off in port. We like that we can drive over the bridge to Copenhagen, board a HAL ship and spend the next days looking at gorgeous Norwegian scenery, so "interesting itineraries" and enrichment programs don't appeal to us. We live in Europe, so if we want to see museums and cathedrals, it's easy enough to book a city break.

So, no. We would not "all" be on premium lines if money were no object.

1 hour ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

What do they use?

I use toilet paper 🤷‍♀️ 

4 minutes ago, Notamegagirl said:

He prescribed antibiotics which cdc and who do not recommend for covid and Tylenol. At first I said no to antibiotics; then he was going to have me sign a form saying I refused medical treatment;  far from it! so instead of arguing, I paid for antibiotics ($620 total medical bill) and went back to my balcony cabin; were I quarantined for 5 days until tested negative.

 

Since I reported myself; had free room service and when main dinning room was open could order off their menu. 

 

 

 

 

 

Antibiotics for a virus? I think he needs to go back to pre-med 🤦‍♀️ 

I'm surprised they gave you free room service. After our medical emergency, I asked if it would be possible for NCL to waive the RS service charge, and they wouldn't. Our holiday was clearly ruined at that point and a little kindness would've gone a long way. That was last time I'll sail with NCL. 

43 minutes ago, mousefan73 said:

 

Also I noticed the coffee station has real milk not coffee cream which annoyed me. I guess Brits only put milk in coffee no creamer..

This is the standard in Europe. "Coffee cream" exists in some places (I think it's 17%), but nobody really uses it and you'll be hard-pressed to get ahold of it in a restaurant, cafe or office. 

12 hours ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

I wonder how European women wash their face. 

With facial cleanser and our hands.

3 hours ago, pcakes122 said:

(It's this kind of thing that makes me wonder if some of the doctors and nurses get jobs on cruise ships because they were unsuccessful or unemployable on land.)

You could be onto something here. My ex had a medical emergency onboard an NCL ship and it was an absolute nightmare from the crew to the medical centre staff. I had to tell them what needed to be done (and what didn't). The bill was astronomical and they were clearly doing things to jack it up even more. We were about to remove the IV ourselves so we could get out of there. We joked that our on-board doctor was an ex-prison doctor.

5 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

They don’t.  I have to specifically ask for them otherwise it comes without.  Seems to me the person you quoted wanted them.

Things must've changed. Last time I sailed on HAL I got them even when I asked for them to be left off. This is a cost-cutting measure I can support!

10 minutes ago, cgolf1 said:

 

The worst we would do is my wife may ask for a sauce to be left off, or say the anchovies on the ceaser salad.

HAL ships have got to be some of the last places on earth to still put actual anchovies on a Caesar salad 😝

2 hours ago, insearchofsun said:

I am very doubtful of getting any compensation, but will try and share our story with NCl if anyone thinks that would help. 

Compensation for what? I don't know what you're expecting NCL to do. The worst days of Covid are (hopefully) behind us and the crazy protocols that were in place a few years ago are no longer required for the good of public health.

8 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

You can always move the pre-paids over to OBC (as described above on #9) then decide as your trip goes along - if something pops up you want, the extra is there; if you don't use it (or all of it) you get the refund at the end of the cruise.

Just be sure to check the very end of the statement to make sure none of it's listed under non-refundable. 

By "pre-paid" I meant that they were included as a promo, so I don't think I can move them to OBC.

41 minutes ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

Are the gratuities already included in your fare?  If not the $30 will be used to offset the gratuity charges.

They are, and that's where usually where I spend my OBC. This will be my first time trying to use it in other ways. With pre-paid gratuities, a drinks package, and specialty dining, there's not much left to spend it on. I get spa treatments at home, so that's not really a treat and I'm not into most of the stuff they sell onboard. First-world problems 🙈