chewsifer1220

Absolutely enjoyed your first weeks live review! I'm hoping you have a great second week and I'm kind of hoping you do another live so we can live vicariously through you again! 

21 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

How dare you! Krystal's is the only good slider kinda burger. I just can't tolerate White Castle...but my grandma brought me up on Krystal's whenever we took a road trip down south to her motherland. So, I suppose I'm a wee bit biased...and really don't enjoy sliders anyway. Like, I need an actual amount of beef in my mouth to feel like I've had a meal. 

I'm glad I'm not the only one who prefers Krystals over WC. When I lived in Memphis (about 20 years ago 😗) I lived 2 minutes from Krystals and ate there often. I miss the chili cheese pups lol Now I live 2 minutes from a WC and haven't ate there in months 😂 Although I think my insides might appreciate that fact lol

16 hours ago, boffoboffo said:

This is a post for the introverted types. Three cruises has been enough for me to come up with a decent list of ways to avoid people. For the most part I’ve found that the ship you’re on doesn’t really matter all that much because people are very predictable so it becomes fairly easy to know exactly what to expect from the masses around you, so then you can just do what they aren’t.

 

Tip # 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5: Should go without saying to anyone who is uncomfortable in social situations with strangers but at all costs avoid the elevator. The stairs usually end up being faster anyway and you’re not stuck in a small box with a bunch of people where it’s guaranteed someone is going to try to engage you in awkward small talk. You should already cringe at the torture that is a public elevator and just don’t risk it. Stay away.

 

That’s the end of my numbered list. The elevator is the worst.

 

Avoid the hot tubs for basically the exact same reason. You can try them later in the evening or night as they’re typically less crowded and if you get lucky and find an empty one maybe bring a Baby Ruth bar or two with you to add to the water and hopefully discourage anyone from joining you.

 

The pool deck will be busy during the day. The casino and other indoor venues will be busy at night. The Waterfront or promenade deck never seems to get too busy.
 

If you want to get sun during the day just keep going up decks and further away from the pool. Everyone wants to be near the pool and the pool bar and the buffet so everyone will be there. There are usually some nice open areas with minimal foot traffic two or three decks above the pool towards the front of the ship. Otherwise wait until anytime after supper time if you want to hang out near the pool. It’ll be fairly quiet. 
 

Some of the bars/venues aren’t open during the day but their seating areas are still accessible. Speciality dining restaurants would fall into this category as well and they include window seats. In many cases you could sit in one of these places for hours during the day and see no one else aside from a couple staff members.

 

The Waterfront on Breakaway class ships or promenade deck on Jewel class ships are always a nice quiet place that also get you closer to the water. The sunny side will always be busier than the shadier side. The Breakaway ships do also have another non-wraparound outside deck beneath the Waterfront deck. Aside from shuffleboard players and crew no one ever goes down there. If you just want to stand and watch the ocean alone, that’s the place to go. 
 

Some places are kind of impossible to avoid crowds like the buffet or the theatre. That being said I’ve never had anyone ever try to engage me in unwanted discussion in either of those places. Guess people have better things to do. 
 

Avoid lineups. People are waiting for something and getting bored and assume you would rather talk to them than be bored in silence.

 

Wear the most generic shirts possible. A shirt from a previous cruise destination or a favourite sports team are considered a conversation starter by far too many people. Now they know something about you so they can fake interest while they talk about themselves.

 

The biggest most obvious headphones you can find are always a good idea to have on your head even if you’re not listening to anything. No one but you knows you’re not listening to anything so you can easily ignore people without appearing rude.

 

If you’re just wanting to sit and relax outside enjoying the view or the sun bring a book even if you’re not reading it. If you’re just sitting there quietly or on your cell phone someone will inevitably think you’re lonely and take that as an invitation to sit beside you. If you appear to be reading, preferably some obscure, boring sounding book from some unknown author people are more likely to assume you’d rather not be disturbed and won’t attempt to talk about the book with you since they know nothing about it.

 

If you need to get a drink the bars towards the middle of the ship tend to be busiest(atrium, pool) and then they get less busy as you get closer to the ends of the ship. For as crowded as the buffet gets the bar in there almost never has a line, for some reason. 

On sea days the early risers start getting up around 7 and the masses closer to 8 and looking for breakfast around 8:30 to 9. Nothing is open but aside from a handful of other guests and a bunch of crew cleaning you will have the ship to yourself if you get up at 5 or 6. It is so worth it for that and the sunrise. 
 

Don’t be feel like you’re wasting your holiday if you decide to just escape to the solitude of your cabin for a few hours. You paid for it and it’s guaranteed to not have strangers in it.

 

For excursions the ship offered ones are usually going to be busy and feature waiting in lines and being stuck sitting close to a bunch of people in some sort of bus or van. Third party excursions are typically much less busy. 
 

If you’re in Bermuda avoid the bus stops. Our last cruise was to Bermuda and I only had three random people during that whole 7 days decide to randomly start a conversation with me. One was some drunk guy on the ship who saw me wearing a Bruins shirt and took that as a conversation starter. The other two were local Bermuda women who appeared to just be hanging out at or near bus stops looking to engage in conversation with tourists. 
 

I think that’s a good enough list for now to get you started. If I think of anything else or discover anything new while on board I’ll make sure to include it. 

I love this! This is an introverts dream! This should be a pinned post for all introverts who want to cruise but are leery of being on a cruise ship. 

Thanks for the tips! I'll definitely keep these in mind when I sail in December. After reading multiple posts about the Waterfront I think that'll be me go to while on board. The sun side vs shade side though is some good advice. Personally,  I'm going to be nowhere near the pool if I can help it. I've seen on YT how that zoo looks. No thanks. 

Again, thank you and enjoy your cruise!

On 2/13/2024 at 5:04 PM, boffoboffo said:

 

 

Once the cruise actually starts I’ll plan to post at least once, hopefully twice per day with what’s going on. There’ll be food and menu pictures. Empty ship at 5am pictures. Excursion pictures. Almost certainly pictures of nothing but water. I doubt we’ll be doing any of the shows, so don’t expect that. I’m extremely introverted and don’t really like people so there will likely be tips and tricks for where to go and what to do in an effort to not interact with anyone else on board. Freestyle daily pictures can be posted as well. I’ll do my best to answer and questions or fulfill any requests anyone has as long as they don’t require me to have to talk to someone. 
 

Well that should be enough for now. I’ll give everyone a couple of days to finish reading this post before I make my second post. 

I am also extremely introverted so I am most interested in this part. I would love to know where to go on this ship to find some solitude, other than my cabin, and places on the ship to visit. I look forward to reading your semi live review 😊

Just read elsewhere that NCL is bringing back the Chefs Table. I don't know if it's just wishful thinking or speculation however

On 1/29/2024 at 2:24 PM, KSSS2013 said:

I didn’t see any, I believe I already posted photos of the cases. If I missed it let me know. 

I appreciate the answer! I couldn't read the tags on the cases so I thought I'd ask. 

Really loving this review also! Thanks again!

If you get time can you tell me if in the Bake Shop do they offer any sugar free or no sugar added desserts?  I would assume no but you never know 🤷‍♀️ I know there's plenty options to be had in other places I'm just curious.  Thank you in advance! 

When sailing on Celebrity in Cafe Al Bacio they had the most delicious no sugar added cookies. Especially the Peanut Butter ones🤤. I think they kept that jar full just for me I was so addicted 🤣

1 hour ago, Homosassa said:

While this post is about another ship on another cruise line, there was a poster who had me rolling my eyes each time she did a review.

 

She cruised the ship regularly in an aft balcony and, therefore, had to walk the length of the ship at times to reach her destination.

 

Each of her reviews made frequent references to the fact that the ship was a very "trippy" ship. She frequently tripped over the changes in flooring material, entering an elevator, that treacherous first step when going up a stair case, etc.

 

Somehow, she never made  the connection about the fact that she started with wine in her cabin first thing in the morning, consumed  five - nine bottles a day, and her tripping problem.

5-9 bottles????? A day??? I'd trip over air consuming that much wine on a daily basis

11 hours ago, SeaShark said:

 

No, no, no....it isn't my haven butler, it is my Haven butler

 

You must always capitalize Haven or else the poors might not realize your importance.

Ah yes. Those of us in steerage

14 minutes ago, havoc315 said:

In all seriousness, I like reading the reviews, and the bad reviews are the most helpful.

I'll typically ignore the 5 star reviews --- You paid a ton of money for a vacation, and had a great time.  Wonderful -- that's how it's supposed to be on every vacation, but I may as well just read NCL promotional materials.

 

So in reading the more negative reviews:

-- Many I can easily dismiss as someone who is just difficult to please. ("the comedian wasn't very funny... the ship officers didn't even say hello in the elevator").  Some are complaining about things outside NCL control ("The weather was terrible, the airline lost my luggage"), some are unrealistic expectations ("The airline lost my luggage and the staff barely lifted a finger to rectify it! The toilet got clogged and it took maintenance 2 hours to fix it!")

-- So I look for patterns, I look to see if there are similar complaints popping up frequently.  If someone says, "service at Cagney's was so slow, 2 hours and my steak arrived cold" -- Did that person just suffer from a single bad night, or are those complaints popping up frequently?  

 

I haven't been on NCL in about 10 years, but going on my 3rd NCL cruise this coming summer, so I've been reading the reviews intently.

 

Here is what I've learned from reading the reviews:

-- Expect long lines to get a drink, especially at the pool bars

-- Expect "nickel and diming" -- with lots of the activities being either extra charges, or seeking your money.

 

 

I think you're absolutely spot on about spotting patterns. And sometimes those patterns are only of certain sailings if not certain ships.  I focus on the 2 to 4 star range as those will generally give the most accurate account of a cruise. Filters out the rah rah and the ones who can't be pleased.  I also refrain from reading reviews from certain sites as those tend to be 90% negative.

The things I've noticed to be patterns are:

Long lines for drinks and shows. Sometimes for dinner (Cruise time dependent)

Finding a lounger at the pool may be impossible (ship dependent)

Some people will let the smallest thing ruin their cruise 🤷‍♀️

I look forward to these Lives and reviews of the Breakaway as I have my first NCL cruise upcoming in December. Fortunately it leaves from Miami since it seems like NOLA is a bit of a cluster

Look forward to hearing about your amazing experience! 

1 hour ago, schmoopie17 said:

Gotta love tipping threads.

Oh wait...no you don't.

Carry on, tipsters...

 I tend to stay out of these kind of threads. Imma going to do me. Everyone else can do what they want.  It makes no difference to me. I can only control me 🤷‍♀️

5 hours ago, complawyer said:

chewsifer1220. you are100% correct, we're a long way off topic. that being said, however, one last service comment if you dont mind.  whenever someone says to me "thank you for your service" while i appreciate the thought, i always respond   "dont thank me, i was drafted"

after that, my wife usually punches me in the arm

Many feel the same way you do. And their spouses will all punch them in the arm  😂

I don't know about anyone else but I'm finding this thread drift a good read.  But yeah we probably stick to talking about cruising lol 

Appreciate your service fellas and ladies 😁

1 hour ago, graphicguy said:

Oh...I know Chief......he is totally motivated by beer and cash.  And, he makes no bones about wanting both. 😉

I don't know Chief but guessing by his posts he could be motivated by some more risqué things than simple booze and cash  🙃

15 hours ago, schmoopie17 said:

Deposits are generally $250 on NCL and refundable up until final payment. 

 

Deposits on Celebrity can be $900 and not refundable. Of course they do offer the option to gouge you for even more money on your cruise fare for the privilege of getting a refundable deposit. Pretty lame, if you ask me.

 

NCL has 10% off for Veterans off the basic cruise fare.

Paying out the nose for refundable deposits seems a little weird to me. Another reason I'm trying NCL and not Celeb again.

22 hours ago, hallux said:

@chewsifer1220 the Breakaway doesn't have the observation lounge.  You'll want to find the library if you need indoors.  The Waterfront on deck 8 would otherwise be a good spot...

Good to know! Thanks! I have heard that the Library can get crowded. The Waterfront intrigues me. It seems like a very under utilized place considering the amount of passengers on the ship. No I'm not complaining 🤣 And my stateroom is already on deck 8 so that will make it a shorter walk for me 

I'm seeing a lot of posts here and other places about GSC being missed. Right now this is the only port I have an actual excursion planned (zip lines) and this worry me slightly. Will it make or break my cruise? No, not at all. I guess I'll see what happens and enjoy my refund if we miss GSC 😂

21 hours ago, graphicguy said:

Funny you mention solo cruises.  Just saw this on the NCL site...

 

"Traveling Solo? We are more than doubling the capacity of solo accommodations across our fleet. Beginning January 2024, there will be Solo Inside , Solo Oceanview and Solo Balcony staterooms with solo traveler pricing that is less than a traditional double occupancy room."

I saw that as well. Apparently it's very ship dependent. The newer ships may have additional solo cabins that the non-refurbished older ships may not or may not have. This may or may not be the case as this is what I have garnered from my reading so don't take it as fact. 

3 hours ago, PaperSniper4 said:

We sail on Celebrity and NCL quite a bit. We are about your age. The nearest cabin type to the Celeb Concierge cabins is the "Club Balcony Suite" cabins on NCL, IMO and based on our experience on the NCL Breakaway for the last few years. Balconies in general on NCL are much, much smaller. However, the cabins are nice on both. The "perks" packages between Celeb and NCL are vastly different. Celeb's includes much more and has always included gratuities on those beverage, etc, packages. Often the price for NCL does NOT include the grats on the specialty meals  and beverage packages - and those can be very expensive. And of course NCL's daily "cabin etc" gratuities are the highest in the industry. Cabin service and similar items usually cost more on NCL also, although I suspect Celeb will also offer the "more for less" that all the cruise lines are offering now. It's hard for them not to do so when their ships are sailing near 100% capacity. Demographics are better on Celebrity IMO with less unruly young people and kids. But then I am an old curmudgeon!😁

 

Hope you enjoy NCL, I'm sure you will in spite of the differences between it and Celebrity. We sail NCL often because they sail from a port to which we can drive (NOLA). We would prefer Celebrity or Princess, but alas, only NCL and Carnival and RCI <fall only> sail from NOLA.

 

 Doug

I did a mock booking on Celebrity and NCL a few months ago. I did a Concierge Cabin on Celeb and Club Balcony Suite on NCL with a Caribbean itinerary. All in all the Celebrity cruise was about $1K more for a shorter cruise.  Not an insignificant amount of money. If I had my druthers I would have stuck to X for the ambiance due to being "higher end" (apparently I am also a curmudgeon LOL) but I just can't justify the price anymore and have a NCL cruise booked for next year. I will be able to compare the 2 myself then. 

And from my research the balconies on NCL are a lot smaller unless you buy a larger balcony.  As someone who utilizes the balcony a lot the larger balcony was a must have for me. 

12 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Two GREAT dining choices.  I would have chosen the same.  And, I cruise solo a lot.  If you want, make sure to see when/where the solo meet ups are when you get to your cabin.  They'll have the itineraries on the TV.  Worth going, at least once, to meet others on board to hang out with if you want.

The solo meet up is the only reason I plan on reading the dailies lol  I'll probably go once just to see what's happening otherwise I'll keep to myself and enjoy my cruise! Appreciate all the advice! 

YT has a lot of videos of GSC and the excursions there. I have learned a lot about the zip lines there watching videos. YT and CC have been great resources for learning the ropes of the ships and excursions. Personally I like seeing what things look like before I go.  And this is also my first NCL cruise and I'll be solo as well 

I know there's a lot of posts here and other places saying GSC is hit or miss due to weather and rough seas.  Personally I won't be too upset if I miss the island but that's me and my cruising style. 

Good luck to you and happy cruise!

7 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Which ship?  Since you've never sailed NCL, we can steer you in the right direction based on your ship's restaurants.

I appreciate that. I'm on the Breakaway. I've done a lot of research on the restaurants on that ship and others.  Right now my plan is to go to Ocean Blue and Wasabi as I love seafood with my 2 specialty restaurant dining credits. I am a solo traveler so Teppanyaki and Moderno just don't interest me. I have both of those type of places in my area anyway. But I am open to ideas and input from the more seasoned NCL travelers! 

On 12/24/2023 at 5:36 PM, BirdTravels said:

Give yourself another 30 years and you’ll know. 

Or in my case be 6'5" and 265lbs lol

Booked a club balcony suite partially for the non-transporter tube sized shower

8 minutes ago, Palmetto Pilot said:

I think the Royal Caribbean group is pricing themself out as a whole. Carnival and NCL are absolutely more of a value, at least on paper. 

Agreed. Everything is subjective to the person who is booking the cruise. What I think is valuable another will disagree.  To each their own as everyone gets to spend their money how they want to.  Carnival to me just isn't worth it since I have no kids and I don't drink. Others will disagree and that's okay 

Is there a similar spot on the Breakaway? 

I spend most of my time on my balcony but when I venture out I would like to steer away from the masses if possible.  I like my quiet and solitude 😁