Atalante

Agree on Vignole salad, escargot, and lamb shank, and the lunch salad bar (although I found the quality better early on in some cruises, I think it depends on the length). Lobster night is always nice.

The desserts are almost always good, and I'm not a big sweets person - the portions are small, which is nice, and they're tasty. My favorite was lemon meringue pie, or getting the cheese plate with a glass of port on the drink package. :)

Maybe it's cruise crowd specific or has changed in recent months, but in the past I have seen bundle packages onboard for formal nights that looked like they saved some money. That being said, I expect it would be hard to get an appointment if you waited that long. I had some challenge even booking a quick wash and blow out last minute.

I previously really enjoyed doing an early morning massage on port days. The earliest spots are typically earlier than you can get off the ship, so it doesn't interfere with enjoying the port, and it was a nice way to start the day. However, be prepared for a highly aggressive product sell at the end of service.

My problem with the Chef's Table is that the same menu is presented on each ship. Boring after the 3rd time so no more for me.

When we did Chef's table on Grandeur they told us to let guest services know if we booked it again on another cruise and they could tweak the menu - of course, we haven't tried that yet. Has anyone tried it/heard the same?

Following, have a blast!

We got ours early too - about 8 weeks ago for our October cruise? However I'm pretty sure they could choose to move us again under the terms. I don't really care, I just want on that boat. Ready to cruise! :) Thanks for posting this here, I was wondering about the early assignment.

WOW, great post!

Hah, too true! Cheers! :cocktail:

I agree with the above! I even feel that way about the US ports we've visited. You won't get a full experience in the limited time you're in port. Really, the ports are more a chance to do something fun that's not offered on the ship.

I suggest looking up the itinerary and drink prices and factoring that in. I've cruised with Royal, so this may or may not be helpful with NCL, but I generally feel I break even just having a few drinks throughout the day if I can get the drink package on sale. Considerations could include:

How many long port days vs. sea days do you have? (you will drink a bit more on sea days, even just the odd drink by the pool or wandering around may add up)

Would you have a breakfast cocktail? Pre-dinner cocktail or prosecco? 1-2 of glasses of wine with dinner?

Does the package cover anything else special such as bottled water? (we generally do a 1 bottle/1 drink request at the bar to ensure we're staying hydrated, so bottled water figures into this quite a bit. They're also nice to take to the gym or on shore)

I was a bit floored at the cost our first cruise, but then I heard stories from my friends on how the bar bill can add up without realizing. So in a way, I figured part of what I was paying for was the peace of mind of not knowing I would have a huge tab at the end of the trip. Plus I felt less guilty about setting aside drinks I ended up not liking.

Hope that helps!

Lol! I was just there! The northstar was broken! Lol

Oh no!

How are you finding the WOW bands at the bar? I saw another post where the comment-er said it was a pain you still had to take them off to scan, and they would get mixed up when more than one was taken to the bar. Just curious if it still works that way.

Definitely not the case in January. We found our favorite bartenders and got some generous pours (although we were on a drink package so it really didn't matter at the end of the day). Was a great week.

I would definitely tell her to pack things that can layer - if the weather is overcast or the theater is cold, it's easy to grab a shawl or light sweater and stay comfortable.

Honestly you could get one app, one entree, and one dessert and be full even if you are really into eating (this is how we vacation... walk.. sit... eat... :) ). Dessert portions in particular are very reasonable (as in, not huge) - you can finish them in a few bites although they can be rich.

If the meals earlier in the day haven't been larger than normal DH and I usually order a few apps to share, and occasionally an extra entree to share (especially as I'm not a huge dessert person). It's more food than normal at home, but it's also vacation.

welcome to the addiction (cruising)

 

your English is pretty good...I am in alberta and my French is awful...

 

I get seasick really easily...like on the ferry to Vancouver Island. That being said the QM2 is large and should ride out storms fairly well. What I use is wristbands. They have a small ball that compresses a pressure point on your wrist that seems to work to stop motion sickness. There are also patches that go behind the ear and delivery meds. motion sickness meds like gravol also work. I suggest you prepare and have the wristbands and some meds on hand just in case. Better to have and not need than to look for something once sea sickness hits. I wear the bands if there is any indication it could get rough. We just did a cruise from Hawaii to Vancouver. Pacific can get really rough. We got lucky and only had about an hour of rough seas the night before Vancouver (trip had 5 days at sea). Sea days are good for relaxing and enjoying the ship.

 

One of the joys of cruising are the ports. Your cruise will not do much of that..but they are a great way to see Europe. Greek Islands especially.

 

Have fun

I agree, look at the wrist bands! I was super nervous about seasickness for my first cruise. I took along ginger tablets and candied ginger for snacking (which some of my seasick companions definitely took advantage of). I also tried to stay very hydrated and took it easy as far as drinks the first few days. The one mistake I did make was spending a lot of time inside the ship on a rough morning - if the sea happens to be rough, try to get as central as possible on the ship and in fresh air where you can see the horizon.

I did notice some cut backs the last few years on the room service breakfast menu. Wasn't it just egg, bacon or sausage, and hash brown the only thing left as a hot item? Even then it didn't usually arrive hot LOL

 

I haven't told my wife yet about the room service charge. We usually get room service on excursions days, but now it appears, I'll be providing the room service for her by going up to the WJ and bringing a plate down LOL Hopefully she gives me a tip! ;)

Hah! That's how it's worked out for us too in the past - just because I was the earlier riser on the last cruise. I felt so weird carrying the windjammer plates and cups back waitress style. At least I know I'm not the only one. :)

I will disagree about the muster never being dependent on weather conditions. Twice on Grandeur we have been inside because of weather. Once there was a torrential rain storm. A few months back a very sudden hailstorm brought us indoors. The casino, theater, centrum and dining room were used for the muster drill. Both times there would have been very angry and very wet passengers had we not been brought inside. Katherine

This was my experience on Grandeur as well - last sailing was hail and muster was indoors. They pointed out the actual deck stations as we exited the theater afterwards.

I think they're nice, and no so far out of line with what I'm used to paying at home. To echo others, though, be prepared for the sell at the end. I had one masseuse last year who didn't even wait for me to get dressed again before she was pushing products.

100% do it, we had so much fun! They will totally accomodate requests. There was one diner there who didn't communicate an allergy ahead of time and they had a new (beautiful) plate with an entirely different protein in front of them in minutes.

As a heads up, though... they don't hold back on those pours of wine. :)