Liljo22

How long ago was that $59? RCL increased their drink package significantly in the past year. The cheapest I have seen it is $71.99/pp/day plus 18%. Honestly still worth it for my wife and I. My last two cruises have been with RCL but the perks brought me back to NCL for my next cruise. Shopped a pre Christmas cruise out of Galveston. Family of 4 in a balcony on the Prima came to about $4,800 after the cruise first discount, Harmony with one less port was about $5,000. I would then add over $1,200 for the drink package. This doesn’t even factor that we have two dining credits for my wife and I to enjoy.

This was the last date night restaurant my wife and I went to. It’s a nice steakhouse but I would put it a step below what you call a top level steakhouse. I ran an online order to see what the price would be. I didn’t go crazy with higher end items. Picked 2 each of apps, salads, entrees, sides and deserts. Before tax it came to $201. That doesn’t include drinks. I also ran the same order with Outback and it came to $103.

At a nice restaurant ordering multiple apps, salads, entrees, sides and deserts, the bill would easily push into the $200 range for 2. On a date night with my wife, we don’t go crazy and still are around $140-$150 before drinks.

Escape is arguably NCLs best ship. All the bells and whistles but without sacrificing public spaces.

What ships because that can make a big difference.

But up until a few posts ago, you implied that you had first hand knowledge of issues on the Prima. Your issues are coming from YouTube and the ship review section here. YouTube is built on toxicity. Content creators have found that negativity gets more views than positivity. I watched one Prima review where he started his review that negative reviews get more clicks so his video only will have negatives. For ship reviews, people with a negative experience are more likely to leave a review than ones with a positive experience. A lot of the negative reviews start with something that happens before they even get on the ship so they are looking for things to go wrong because they can’t get over the fact that it took 2 hours to get to the port.

Cruisefirst $250/$500 being offered again for those that missed it last time.

Its possible but you should let them know. If for some reason they need to leave earlier, they can contact you to let you know. I don't know if that would be an issue with this cruise but I know for Bermuda overnight cruises, sometimes they need to leave earlier than listed to avoid a storm.

Yes my bad. I looped all the older ships into one category and shouldn't have called it Jewel. Dawn was actually one of my favorite NCL cruises and it was before the big refurb.

Escape is the only Breakaway Plus ship with the ropes course. The Breakaway/Getaway also have ropes courses. Here is a website that describes what you might find on each class but each ship is a little different within the class. https://thepointsguy.com/guide/norwegian-cruise-ship-class-guide/ My quick synapsis: Jewel Class - Smaller ships without all the bells and whistles but more of the classic cruise feel to it. Epic Class - Honestly just stay away from this ship. Some people like it and some people absolutely hate it. Its weird and quirky. Breakaway Class - Has a lot of the public deck space that is missing on the newer classes when they started to add racetracks and laser tag activities. Breakaway and Getaway are exactly the same but the theme is different. Breakaway is themed to NY and Getaway to Miami. That means mostly décor changes but small venue changes like Breakaway having martini bar while Getaway having a mojito bar. Breakaway Plus Class - Escape was the first ship before they started adding the racetrack. They added District Brewhouse and Food Republic to this class which both were a huge hit. After the Escape, they added the racetrack in place of the ropes course and they also added the Observation Lounge at the front of the ship. Joy was built for China so its spa is below the others in the class. Prima Class - Newest ship. NCL went more for a resort style than a flashy cruise ship. More toned down than the other classes. Class is also smaller than the Breakaway class with lower capacity. Still has the racetrack over the ropes course. Buffet is smaller but they added the Indulge Food Hall which is a big hit. Small pool deck but they added pools to deck 8 with additional loungers. I think your sweet spot as a new cruiser with NCL is the Breakaway/Breakaway Plus classes. If your DH prefers the ropes course over the for pay racetrack, I would go with the Breakaway, Getaway or the Escape again.

Usually you do not need to work about the countdown but the $500/$250 cruisefirst deal ending last week. Its back to $300/$150. The other offers will just be extended as usual.

Its a new class of ship so there is going to be NCL loyalists that are going to be tough on it. Go back and look at the reviews. The Joy/Bliss/Encore were torn apart for the shrinking deck spaces in favor of pay venues but now are some of people's favorite ships. After people start getting used to the layout of this class, the reviews will be more favorable.

I agree. Its become a "don't ask and don't tell" policy for most of those workplace/schools/businesses.

There were definitely issues that NCL could of and should of controlled but I think a lot of it was you. I am not saying that in a bad way. Just cruising might not be for you especially if you are prone to sea sickness. I have been on small ships all the way up to RCL Oasis class ships and they usually had one sea day that the ship rocked pretty bad. For activities, all the mass market cruise lines pretty much have similar types of daily activities. They all have art auctions, port shopping presentations, trivia, inappropriate pool side contests and so on.

Also, if you are booking a cruise now, you can purchase the CFC right before booking and it will show up on your account instantly to use towards the deposit.

Just booked on the Prima and have a question on how these passes work. I saw BirdTravels posting of the terms and for both passes it says that 1 person can use it per race/game. Does that mean multiple people can use the pass but just not at the same time? The speedway pass breakeven is 14 races which seems like a lot but both my kids(and myself) being able to use it would make more sense.

Yes. You have 3 years to use them after you buy them. Max is 10 but you are not suppose to be able to use more than 1 on a cruise and they are not suppose to be combined with CruiseNext certs although some people have claimed that they have been able to.

NM

Just purchased a CFC and was going to book a cruise but noticed there are a ton of cabins in my category available currently. Has anyone been able to get a price reduction before final payment and kept the full value of the certificate? It seems like the terms are there so you can't cancel an old reservation, buy a certificate and then rebook the same cruise but I am not 100% sure.

NM

All the cruise lines are having distributor issues so I am sure the ones that are moving to Plus have had cost increases do to these issues.

Yes. There is live music during dinner and some people will get up and dance. Some nights the Burn the Floor dancers will be there dancing.

When you stop in Roatan, Costa Maya or Cozumel you are charged for that days drink package also. How is that any different.

There was a poster that is currently on the Prima that says the MDR menus have started to rotate again.

What I find funny is that the negative reviews of the ships after the Escape were pretty overwhelming but now most list those ships as their favorite. Its the regular cycle of a new ship class. Bunch of negative reviews of the Prima have people worried but by the time they move to a new class, I am sure people will be saying the Prima class ships are their favorite.