CruisinMaterial

Being on the World Traveller on their Christmas cruise, I can confirm that we did do laps in the Beagle Channel as the captain sped up the ship to get us across the Drake Passage in time. There was a bad storm impacting the Drake Passage with very high winds. On Christmas Eve around 1AM during the Christmas Party the ship really started to get the Drake shake effects. Thankfully the Captain got us into the Beagle Channel by mid-morning so things calmed down quite a bit. When we debarked on 12/26, I can confirm the conditions in Ushuaia were not great with very heavy winds. It rocked our plane while we were sitting on the tarmac like I've never felt before. While we had our entire journey in Antarctica as scheduled, we did beeline it across the Drake to safer, sheltered waters. That storm kept the World Traveller in port and their other ship as well after we debarked. It was definitely weather related.

I traveled solo on the World Traveller in Antarctica and it was an ok time. The crew the first day or two were super friendly and chatty when they could be. The expedition team was very welcoming and were pleasant to chat with throughout the day and evening. I ended up finding a group of solo travelers who had teamed up to room together after backpacking all over South America. Some were starting and others were ending their journey. By day 3, we took over the Captain's Table in the Lisboa and were quite a large group. It was a lot of fun. They were upper 20-somethings, 30-somethings. I wasn't sure I would find such an age demographic on a voyage like this so that was a pleasant surprise. The crew and expedition team are super friendly otherwise though!

The offer has nothing to do with the charges. It only has to do with the type of AMEX you carry. The promo is offered by NCL to everyone on certain cards when they sign the agreement with AMEX to run it. Odd they'd undercut their own credit card by doing so but they did this last year around this time to shore up their winter bookings.

17 hours ago, BrianLo said:

 

You know, I just want to make a comment that I'm not really sure this is the case per say. There seems to be a widening divide between the two of these lines, they definitely used to be really obvious comps.

 

NCL is decidedly trying to swim up market, further reducing their focus on the Caribbean and are purposefully working towards longer length cruises with a wider variety of destinations. We see other targeted areas of focus like Solos on NCL and meanwhile RCL seems to digging in deeper to the family cruising with staterooms meant to accommodate. NCL continues to have most guests on some form of package. NCL is also kind of in the medium ship category while RCL is focusing on mega's and their land-based offerings.

 

This is not an insult to RCL in the slightest, but I actually think Carnival and MSC are both trying to come up as well into RCL's current category. NCL is trying to become a Celebrity competitor.

NCL is not sailing the Caribbean market and short haul cruises anymore because MSC came in an undercut them with newer, flashier ships and offering an alcohol package. While folks do rag on MSC constantly for all manner of things, I, for one, haven't had any large complaints about MSC. They're actually the only line that I know of that hasn't cut back on something since cruising resumed post-COVID. Give them props for sticking with everything, including lobster in the MDR and twice a day room servicing.

NCL is trying to upmarket themselves but they're floundering with all the cuts they're doing. I see a three-way competition between NCL, Carnival and MSC. Carnival Corp is already taking a hit on their Costa brand thanks to MSC and that's why Costa is repositioning ships into the Carnival fleet in the USA. NCL already lost out on the short haul market to focus on "longer itineraries" but given the current promotions for further afield, it's clear that not everyone can afford to go globe trotting for what NCL charges. I also know for a fact that not all their ships are sailing full or with double occupancy due to their itineraries and declining ratings among passengers. Their bargain pricing is attracting the wrong type of crowds to their ships.

If anything it seems like NCL is more on a death spiral than going upwards IMHO.

I was on the Poesia for 14 days last year and she's a well looked after ship. She has that lovely small ship feel and get to know you feel for the crew than the larger MSC ships have. I enjoyed my two weeks on her. Use the aft stairwells for more picturesque and secluded views when leaving and entering ports. You can get the aft and side perspectives from there. Loved that feature and so happy the fitness trainer told me about them!

If I had to guess it, I would say they've probably cut the shoreside person who monitors the emails. I received a reply back from someone saying they had forwarded it to the ship but nothing has been heard from since. The ship is also the Norwegian Pearl.

Depending upon how much water you consume in a day, the non-alcoholic refreshment package could be a good deal. The Aqua Panna bottles are $6.50 USD so that can add up fast. Plus you can get mocktails with it and the smoothies from the covered pool bar.

Certain TAs carry MSC. Now that they're growing their presence in the US, they're getting more taking a look. Their international product, especially Europe is more appealing to some folks. It's cultured cruising. As for customer service, all the cruise lines have slipped in their pre-cruise operations. NCL has really fallen on their faces lately in all respects and MSC seems ready, willing and able to fill the void. I remember when I first started cruising, TAs didn't book NCL and now NCL is pushed heavily in the Northeast USA. Every cruise line that grows has the growing pains. However, what MSC doesn't have to deal with is the stock market investors so they're maintaining their standards while the rest are racing to the bottom to appease those same investors. Any TA not wanting to book MSC is doing a disservice to themselves and will lose their clients when they do switch.

The newer ones are unique in their own right. I love every ship I've been on with MSC for different reasons but the Poesia was the best in terms of small-ship feel. As I've aged, the small-ship feel and the intimacy of the venues and having the crew travel around the ship with you is much more important than all the flashy eleganza on the newer ships! Really wish MSC would put one of their older ships out of Boston (instead of Miami... we'll take Magnifica here)!

MSC has not brought back the CC Meet & Greet as of end of May on the Meraviglia.

As for who is reading what on CC, someone is looking at different things. It depends on where you're posting and what you're saying as to if they identify you or not. Most of the posts are anonymous on here so that keeps them guessing as to who everyone is unless you do something on the ship that causes them to link you to it. (They also can get the room numbers from the Cruise Critic reviews and match it that way depending on what you put for info in your reviews.)

As others have said, if you want lobster, best shop elsewhere for a cruise line. MSC also had in surf and turf on the Meraviglia recently when I sailed. NCL upcharges for the lobster and lobster thermidor in LeBistro.  

9 hours ago, tkwbear said:

That is how the US parties go, but it is a much bigger deal in Europe. At least on the Poesia last fall, it was a group of hundreds with many Europeans showing up in pin stripe tuxedos. The wine was amazing, unlike at the US parties. They had a good live band playing too.

You are quite right about the Poesia Diamond experience. I was on there for two voyages back to back and both times they did it very differently than the US MSC experience. There were also not as many of us Diamond folks onboard for the two voyages I had (end of season Norway and Baltics run).

I checked an app and it didn’t show you moving… oh boy. Wonder what happens next as I doubt you’ll make the slot for the Panama Canal even if you sail.

1 hour ago, KINGBOBOFTHENORTH said:

Doesn't MSC still run a laundry special for $20 once per cruise?

Didn't know they did! Would love more details on this if it exists!

Another major kicker for the Brooklyn Terminal is the ship's earlier departure. It sails at 3PM? That means all aboard is at 2PM at the latest. If you're coming in from anywhere outside of the NYC metro area, you've got a very early rise to get there and forget going into NYC on a train or bus the same day coming down from Boston. You'd be biting your nails if you tried the public transit options to get to Brooklyn and the Uber/Lyft charges are up there. Perhaps with their arrival into NYC, they'll eventually move to the Manhattan terminal on the off days from when the Joy is in town (Saturdays would be free in Manhattan).

2 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

Having just been on the Gem for 23 days, I’d like to note that the ship has not been “completely redone.”  While public areas were refreshed during the Nov/Dec dry dock, NCL did nothing to the staterooms. I really love the Gem, but NCL really needs to get rid of the dated, dark wood laminate and modernize the cabins. Sadly, they don’t have the money to do it. 

Indeed the rooms were not updated. However, the updates they did to them on the other Jewel-class ships didn't make much sense either since the darker wood look was only in half the room. 🤷‍♂️

This year I can tell you itineraries on the Norwegian Gem and the Norwegian Getaway didn't sell well. I snagged a solo deal for myself and for others. The Gem for being completely redone was very affordably priced for solos, more so than the Getaway which I would prefer the Gem over anyway. Two ships seemed to even saturate the NYC market this season. I am not sure if it's because they didn't go further south for a longer period of time or just that the market is soft in NYC suddenly. Either way, with more competition coming from MSC, I suspect they're cutting back to avoid a price war.

I was on the Gem in January and they just called it the LGBTQIA+ Meeting. It was unhosted but listed each day in the FreeStyle Daily and usually at a bar or lounge on the ship. You never know when they'll be a group on the ship. As Turtle06 mentioned there is a large group on that particular voyage as I know someone who is also a FOD who is still sailing on that ship (since I got off on January 11th). It was a great group of folks and three of us are still in touch. Turn up and see how it goes. Doesn't hurt and if you don't like it, you are not forced to return the remainder of the cruise.

I sailed on January 2nd and know someone from my sailing still on the ship. You folks are having a lovely time overall. You were quite fortunate with the tendering process in Great Stirrup Cay and also for not having the Prima be with you there. Our tendering process was quite the crap show! Love reading about your journey and hope you have an amazing day at Disney.

Having come off the Gem, I can report guests with Free at Sea were given the 6-Liters of water. When I disembarked, the amount of water they were loading onto the ship would support a continuance of the program as well. Only problem is, if you do the upgrade advantage (bidding), most of the time the amenities won't be delivered (or if they are, they've gone to your old stateroom) depending on the date the bid is accepted.

It appears they've shut the buffet down and everyone is redirected to O'Sheehans on the ships that have them for any meal after 10-10:30PM. It was the same on the Gem recently.

Seems like FDR is turning the entire NCL fleet into what my 2021-2022 New Years cruise on Norwegian Getaway turned out to be. Burn the Floor and someone's portable speaker in Spice H2O with endless karaoke in Syd Norman's pour house. The only thing the newer ships had going for them was the multiple entertainment venues. If there's no entertainment in them, well I guess you just keep drinking and make your own? Seems like total business sense. Looking forward to FDR's next BS investor phone call.

Wish all the investors who are cruisers of the line would band together and oust his sorry butt and take his son, too. Prior to COVID he was already destroying the brand, now he's going to take it the way of Renaissance Cruises. Only thing he's going to make certain at this rate is MSC will continue to gain market share in the USA and eventually cannibalize this brand like they have done with Costa in Europe.

1 minute ago, eroller said:

 

 

And doing things like letting go the heads of Regent and Oceania and replacing one with your son.  Nepotisum is alive and well at NCLH.  I think 1/4 of the shoreside staff is somehow related to FDR. 

I do believe you're right. No better way to sink a ship. Here everyone thought Colin Veitch was doing a number on the brand. Yeah he went a little nuts with the number of ships in Hawai'i but he had a vision. This guy (FDR) is only out for money for himself (paid way too much) and the investors.

It is great news to hear about the Behind the Scenes tour getting more comprehensive. You had mentioned earlier about a Dinner with the Officers. Have you heard any word about that? Someone was taking me to task about it in another thread and it was mentioned here. I'm curious to know if anything came of it. Thanks.

34 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

Paying off the debt without restructure is a monumental task, especially given they still aren't making money and have said that they don't expect to turn positive until the second half of 2023. In other words, the debt keeps rising 😞.  I thought it interesting that last quarter NCL debt rose more than its competition. Pre-covid, NCLH was barely making enough to pay the current interest only payments (fixed or not).

 

 

 

You raise an excellent point. Instead of starting a new class of ship (which is getting mixed reviews), they should've waited and paid down some of the debt. As a result, with COVID and how FDR is running NCLH, I suspect it'll go the way of Renaissance Cruises from which he came. Circle of Life is a thing... even in the industry. Same scenario... new class of ships lead to its demise because they weren't financially healthy before going into a major world event (then it was 9/11... now COVID). The pain will only continue for those who continue to sail on NCL