Lily815

They weren't giving up pagers on the 3 day someone else even mention that to

They most certainly did too. We were given a pager, and so was everyone else in line. The pagers worked on the entire ship. You did not have to stand there and wait.

There is a huge difference between being told it's a two hour wait and being given a pager, going to a bar and having a drink, in comparison to standing in line for 2 hours.

 

Nobody did that.

No one waited 2 hours. I was on the same sailing. Yes, we were told it was a 2-hour wait, but we were always seated in under an hour.

They could EASILY eliminate the lines and keep the restaurant free. Why isn't this a problem on Carnival or Princess or HAL?

 

Why didn't you have your butler get you the food? No reason you would have had to be in a line at all.

 

I don't know why people here think you are a doctor.

Prolonging the myth only diminishes your credibility.

No one here thinks he's a doctor LOL it is all said tongue in cheek . They know the truth ;)

Were there any crab legs or any other seafood at the seafood buffet?

I was just going to ask the same question.

Needless to say you will not get a table for 14.. That said, the MD when on board will be able to help as much as possible. For a party that large, you may need to eat off hours or wait a bit to be seated.

Yes, they will. The Escape has plenty of tables for large groups in the Manhattan dining room.

Hi does anyone know when New Jersey school break will be November 2016? I've heard it's typically the first week of November but the first week in 2016 starts the last day of October so is it 10/31 to 11/4 or 11/7 to 11/11? Any help is greatly appreciated. Just went on the breakaway a few weeks ago during "jersey" week and didn't mind the kids at all but since it's just the husband and I I figured the week before or after would be more desirable.

It's the first full week of November. Nov 7 - 11.

Does the Escape have the poolside BBQ's like they have on the other ships?

None of the large ships (Epic, the 'Aways, and the Escape) have poolside BBQs.

No matter when they make the changes, it will be after someone's final payment or a week before someone's sailing. Should they make their changes 2 years ahead....I don't know any company that would agree to that.

When Jet Blue went from "free" baggage to charging, anyone booked before a certain date was grandfathered in. They also made sure the new charge date was several months ahead. That is the proper way to conduct business, IMO.

Some of you guys crack me up.

More options is not nickel and diming. We agree. However to charge for things that were once included in the cruise fare is nickel and diming IMHO. There would be a long list but I don't want to wake the trolls :eek:

 

Dictionary: To accumulate in small amounts

 

Why do some get so angry at this phrase? I see people freak out on this board. The entire vacation industry is full of nickel and diming. But some think NCL should be immune from commenting about it.

I think these people are either relatively new to cruising (maybe within the last 10 years or so), or really are that naive to think all of these changes are "normal".

I pretty much think it's not just the burger prices that people are upset about. It's about this whole roller coaster year since FDR took over and all the things that were purchased included when the cruise was booked to what it is now.

 

What other line has gone through so many changes in such a short time?

 

So saying it's about burgers is trivializing it.

100% correct.

On Harmony, and all Oasis class ships, you will need show reservations.

Ok, thanks. Is there a different show every night?

I left Royal in 2008, and have been sailing NCL since that time. We have the Harmony booked for early 2017, and I am very much looking forward to it! We are going with a group of friends. Anyway, since it's been a while, I'm not sure what has changed with Royal. Is there a show every night on the ship, or is it one or two headliners for the week? Do you need reservations for the various shows? Thanks! :)

Cancel?

Big family cruise. We have 15 cabins booked, and sail in 3 months. Free booze - we will have fun ... but I doubt I will book NCL again for a long, long time ... and that's a shame. In the past 7 years, I have been on 22 NCL cruises :cool:

I don't like the changes, or where the line seems to be headed. Time will tell!

I sailed Home Lines Atlantic to Bermuda in 1982. It was my first cruise and my friends and I had THE BEST time! Everything was perfect. It was my first cruise and I had nothing to compare it to at that time. Fast forward 31 years and after having been on other cruise lines, NOTHING compares to the Atlantic and Home Lines! :)

My first cruise was also on the MV Atlantic, to Bermuda, in April 1982. Cruises today are NOTHING like they were then. It was first class all the way. I was just a kid, but I can appreciate what we had then compared to what they pass off today as a cruise. What an experience!

Thanks for the review!

Yeah but a $5 cover still would not have cut down on the massively exhaustingly long lines. That's the only reason the fee is being charged. This is one thing I fully support, like I said I wanted to go to Margaritaville when I was on the escape but couldn't do so because people took advantage of it. Even O'Sheehan's had a 2 hour wait at certain times. If y'all want to spend your Cruise vacation standing around in line that is certainly your prerogative but I want to hurry up eat and get back to the fun.

You are extremely naive if you believe they are charging these prices to simply cut down wait times. They see a money maker, and they jumped at the opportunity to get more cash.

If you're going to blame somebody blame the overcrowding, when I was on the ship people acted like that was the only game in town. Yes in theory I wanted to go to Margaritaville but I was not about to wait hours to sit and eat when there are other options available. I think this is a smart idea and it will hopefully cut down on the enormous crowd.

We never waited "hours". Not once.

I didn't say it but I was going to, when I was waiting in line I felt like a dog waiting at the trough. I'm glad Ncl is doing this so that now maybe people can go and have a casual lunch at Margaritaville and not have to wait over 2 hours. Someone said over an hour no I was there the line was over two hours

I was there as well, and while they told people the wait was two hours, we waited just under an hour for a table.

FYI -

 

Escape, 4,248 Passengers - 5 complimentary venues:

Manhattan Room, Taste, Savor - only Taste/Savor open for lunch & only when at sea

O'Sheehan's

Buffet

 

Getaway, 3,969 Passengers - 7 complimentary venues:

Tropicana Room, Taste, Savor - only Taste open for lunch when at sea

O'Sheehan's

Buffet

Flamingo Bar and Grill - Breakfast and dinner

Shanghai's - Open for dinner only

 

Breakaway, 3,963 Passengers - 8 complimentary venues:

Manhattan Room, Taste, Savor - Only Savor open for lunch & only when at sea

O'Sheehan's

Buffet

Uptown Bar and Grill

Shanghai's Noodle Bar

Sabrett's Hot Dog Stand

 

Epic, 4,100 Passengers - 7 complimentary venues:

Manhattan Room and Taste - Only Taste open for lunch & only when at sea

O'Sheehan's

Great Outdoors

Spice H20

Shanghai's Noodle Bar

So basically, on the Escape, which has the most passengers, you can:

Have free breakfast at Taste/Savor, O'Sheehan's and the Buffet

Have free lunch at Taste/Savor but only when at Sea, O'Sheehan's or Buffet

Have free dinner at Manhattan Room/Taste/Savor, O'Sheehan's or Buffet

 

Just a quick show of the different ships, the amounts of passengers on the ships and the complimentary venues now available.

 

Harriet

Thank you. This breaks it down nicely.

I read where the UBP was not accepted in the specialty restaurants. I couldn't believe it, so now I'm trying trying to see if it's true! Many changes at NCL, so I would like to find out! I'm booked on the Epic and the Jewel for 27 days with the UBP on both!

At this moment , you're good ;)

Bummer. So NCL's biggest ship has 3 complimentary restaurants:

- main dining rooms

- buffet (Garden Cafe)

- O'Sheehans

 

Compare that to RCI's biggest class. On the Oasis of the Seas, the following are complimentary:

- main dining rooms

- buffet (Windjammer)

- Park Cafe

- Sorrento's pizzeria

- Cafe Promenade

- Vitality Cafe

- Wipe Out Cafe

- Boardwalk Dog House

- Solarium Cafe

 

And Johnny Rockets has free breakfast. Some of the venues I listed above on RCI are not open for dinner (or there is a fee for dinner like the Solarium) but I was thinking along the line of what is available for lunch. I considered Margaritaville a lunch type of place.

This is exactly why, after 8 years with NCL, we are heading back to Royal. :(. Just way too many changes on NCL. Also, IMO, the MDR choices and quality were better under Sheehan. When the new menus were rolled out on Getaway (when the ship first started sailing), the choices and quality were amazing. I just don't think it's as good now as it was. It's hard to justify all of these price increases now.

Glad all is well!

I was also trying to figure out his math. If the burgers/sandwiches are 6.99-10.99, the fries/coleslaw/sides are 2.99 each if you had a mid-range burger, fries, and coleslaw plus the 18% that's $17.70 without desert or apps. That's not much less expensive than the $20 he's claiming a land meal to be.

 

 

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When we were on the 3-night cruise, the burger was served with fries. Doesn't negate the ridiculousness of the extra charge though.

Fair question lol. I don't sail on Escape until May, and I just have this sense of foreboding over what else will change (read: cost extra) between now and then... Will my UBP still be unlimited? Will there be an extra fee to make reservations? Will prices suddenly appear on the menu at O'Sheehans one day?

 

Unfortunately, nothing would surprise me with the way NCL is going right now. Hoping they prove me wrong and give us an excellent cruise.

The way it has been going, I would not be the least bit surprised if one day, soon, the only "free" dining option is the buffet.

I don't know which is worse - NCL pulling another fast one, or the apologists ...