SlipperyVic

On 12/10/2022 at 8:33 PM, jtdlmc said:

January 26. 

If your coming off the NCL Jewel on Jan 26th, your disembarking in Colon, not Panama City.

It's at least 1.5hrs from the airport.

4 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

Much like Pepsi eh?

 

Here's to the Coke regime! And obviously it's going to be the American formula. Why would it be Canadian? I'd much rather Mexican Coke, but I'm smart enough to know that won't happen.

No reason why it would. 

Canadian Coke is very similar to Mexican Coke. 

This is a disappointment. 

If they get Canadian formula Coca-Cola it would be drinkable, but the American formula is vile. 

I wish they would stop doing the game shows in the atrium. Almost impossible to enjoy.

On 3/8/2020 at 8:29 AM, esm54687 said:

So your economic solution is for those who enjoy gambling to boycott the casino because NCL isn't enforcing the smoking by non-players?? 

 

That's right, punish those who play by the rules. 

Keep rewarding a company that fails to respect it's customers.

Choice is yours.

Thanks for your call!.

On 2/22/2020 at 6:35 PM, esm54687 said:

You did read that the issue revolves around non-players sitting in the casino and smoking.

 

NON-PLAYERS generate ZERO revenue so...... 

Yes, I can read quite well. I know economics can be a difficult subject to understand for some people., but I'll try to break it down for you.

The only thing a business cares about is profit. Complaining online about a smokey casino filled with non-playing smokers will not likely get the notice of the cruise line since their bottom line is not affected. If people were to stop playing and the casino profits dropped then there's a chance the cruise line would notice and then look for a reason.

Interesting you say that you had an intense check in experience.

I was on the cruise immediately before you and found the lack of screening at check in to be alarming. The entire enhanced screening process seemed to be a guy outside the port that asked if we have been to China. That was it. No health questionnaire at all.

Once on board the only place they encouraged hand sanitizer use was at the buffet. It was not mandatory, just suggested. No mandatory hand cleaning after ports.

Stay out of the casino if the smoking bothers you.

Loss of revenue is the only thing NCL will care about.

1 hour ago, AL3XCruise said:

I'm sure many people share that opinion, but a small amount of research would show them what ships and lines would be the best fit for their preferences.  Someone who spends thousands of dollars with no research and then complains they didn't like the way reservations were handled is the antithesis of a smart consumer.

I agree, one must do some research to know whay they are getting when chosing a cruise line.

I don't think NCL should really be calling their dining freestyle anymore. The only freestyle thing about it now is no assigned seating. Before the megaships sailed into the picture, NCL's freestyle was much more free. I feel that it's a shame they have had to stray from that.

On 12/20/2019 at 9:56 AM, hallux said:

@ColeThornton don't bring up the whole "Freestyle" thing!  There are people on this very forum complaining that having to pre-book everything on the larger ships takes away from the whole "freestyle" thing...

Having to pre-book things is the antithesis of freestyle cruising. That's not a complaint it's a fact of life.

My list is as follows.

1. Dawn (pre drydock)

2. Star

3. Gem, Jewel, Pearl

7. Dawn (after dry dock)

9. Breakaway

40. Bliss. If the Bliss was my first cruise experience, I'd never cruise again.

55 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

The preparation at Teppanyaki (soy sauce and butter) is different from Le Bistro and it’s wine sauce to Cagney’s (which is always really bad). 

Odd, I've yet to have a bad steak at Cagney's or a good meal at Le Bistro.

1 hour ago, chengkp75 said:

The Dutch method uses aeration to produce aerobic water, which tends to be much more "bio-stable" (doesn't allow biological organisms to grow) than anaerobic water (typical in US and most municipal systems), so the residual sanitizing is not required.  They also have far stricter requirements for type and installation methods of installing potable water piping throughout the country than the US and most countries.  Dutch water quality meets and exceeds all EU water quality standards, without use of any chlorine at all.

 

And, yes, chlorination or chloramination can be measured throughout a system, but is it, and does this measurement drive real time changes in chlorination levels, or is this just periodic testing to determine overall average performance.  I know that my municipal water supply is chlorinated, but at our tap there is no residual.

Municipalities are required to measure chlorine residual along with taking representational baterialogical samples from their water systems daily in Canada. Depending on the type of water system (chlorinated or chloraminated) the system must have a residual of 0.05mg/L free (ppm) or 0.25mg/L total to be considered potable. If the chlorine levels are below the threshold the system is considered adverse and a boil water order is issued and the municipality must take corrective actions, generally flushing or adding a auto flusher to the end of a dead end.

Having a zero residual at a tap would be a serious issue here.

The requirement for secondary disinfection has nothing to do with the type of treatment used at the plant or the quality of the water,  it is rather about protection in case of watermain break or backflow through a cross connection. I am once again attending the Aquatech trade show in Amsterdam next month, so i will do a little research on their local operations.

Unfortunately the answer to all three of your questions is no.

8 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

However, the Dutch use UV sterilization (which requires power), and sand filtration and aeration, which require time, to sanitize their water.  It certainly works for Holland, with its particular population and ground water sources, but not sure it would work everywhere.

Lots of places in North America also use UV sterilization in water treatment plants for primary disinfection, but since UV treatment provides no residual protection they are also required to have secondary disinfection which in most cases is chlorination or chloramination which can be measured throughout the system.  

I would be very surprised if Holland did not have similar requirements, and if they didn't I know I wouldn't be drinking the water there.

16 hours ago, ronbe65 said:

Thanks for a well put thoughts and tips for dedicated Haven guests.

My note is for the rest of cruising passengers.

Please note that "Haven" product quality varies dramatically from ship to ship.

I personally wouldn't consider paying an extra dollar for the Haven unless it's Bliss/Joy/Encore, i.e. ships with the observation lounge.

None of 7-day Caribbean cruises is worth more than $800.00 pp. No exception.

There is nothing superficial or magic in the Haven experience.

It all depends on the personal perception of exclusivity and privacy.

A luxury price tag is often a pass to so-called "luxury" ships or "ship-within-a-ship"gimmickry, but not always to 5* cruising experience.

That said, I confirm that NCL haven product (limited to Bliss/Joy/Encore) is an excellent product that exceeds 4.5* mark. yes, this product is among a few best at sea.

Another key to understanding the Haven experience: we cannot evaluate it separately form the rest of the ship. The Haven is just an enclave has to be complemented by other amenities on the ship (spa, fitness, pools, open promenades, dining options, shows). As to the Bliss/Joy/Encore Haven experience, the lack of adequate pools, crowded fitness center, and horrible open deck design (in case of Encore) prevents it from being 5*.

Dreaming of a luxury cruising?

Look around. A 5* cruising experience (instead of "luxury") may be next to you and cost you some 50-70% less.

 

The Haven area on the Bliss, Joy and Encore might have nicer features such as the observation lounge, but unfortunately they are connected to the rest of the burning dumpster fires that are the Bliss, Joy and Encore.

Dinner for 2 in Cagney's generally less than an hour so for 3 it shouldn't be much more than 90 mins.

On 9/23/2019 at 7:14 AM, newmexicoNita said:

So tell us  why? Have you ever eaten there, is this not your type of meal, have you had crappy food? Just curious why? 

I have dined there a number of times on a few different ships and always had a dining experience below my expectations. 

I find the meat to be under seasoned, bland and generally of low quality. The service has also been a let down compared to other restaurants. Really long wait times between meats.

The meat that comes out with either be burnt to a crisp or almost raw with nothing in between. If you like a particular cut or type of meat you need to stock up on it when the goucho comes with it the first time because there is a good chance that's the only chance your going to get at it.

5 hours ago, StormiB said:

We just did NYC in the haven and the "lounge" was a joke at the terminal. It had hard chairs (like what is at a banquet round at a hotel) and mediocre coffee. They had 3 counters for check in and space was very tight. I would suggest staying at the airport in one of the airline lounges. You can generally buy day passes and have access to a bathroom, free wifi, snacks and adult beverages. 

 

The rest of the trip was amazing and the Haven was fantastic, just the lounge area was less than expected. 

If you weren't impressed by the Haven lounge in NYC then your really going to be let down by the lounges in Miami or Boston.

Pay to smoke tobacco? No.

Weed, of course!

I wouldn't pay $46 to eat there, I wouldn't pay the old $29.99 either. I don't even use my platinum voucher there. I'm not sure I would eat there if it was complementary.

I don't tip porters anywhere for any reason. They already get paid well to do that job and they cannot offer me any above and beyond service so they can't earn a tip either.

The only way they could actually earn a tip would be to show up at my house and collect my luggage from there. I'd tip for that, but only a buck or two.

Cagney's jumped the shark for me when they switched from the old Chicago steakhouse motif a number of years ago.

The side sauces used to be much more flavorful and they used to offer a choice of herb butters as a steak topper. Both of these things are small changes but I definitely miss them both. 

Service is very much hit or miss depending on which ship and crew you have.

How many threads about NFL football do we need here?