CruisinSam129

Just of the NCL Dawn on Friday the 16'th and the cruise was mostly very good but in about 12 cruises this is the first time a good number of us has personal items stolen while in the pool or hot tub. People nearby just think that someone is vacating a lounger because they pick up everything there and quickly walk off. It seems like they go through the pockets and the inside of your shoes looking for your tipping cash or watches etc. the stolen clothes and shoes are never found or turned in so they are being thrown away someplace nearby. Also some purses were stolen and never found , mostly in the confusion when the shops were busy. NCL staff could care less and at customer service they wont even apologize or even offer to replace your pool towels-which are always taken as well. Have others noticed more of this on recent cruises ?

I'm sorry to hear that happened. It sucks that even on a cruise ship people steal.

You will have to wait until tomorrow. It would be anyone's guess right now ...

The DSC wasn't always higher for suites on NCL. That has changed in the last couple years.

I don't mind the DSC being higher as the cabins are larger.

Well we are just off the MSC Divina Yacht Club. The service was great, all were friendly and the ship was spotless. It has it's quirts also but very nice. I was still more impressed with the Haven on the Epic when we did a Transatlantic in a 2 bedroom suite. So I too went to go look at booking another NCL and was A shocked by the new prices and B the added in extra now for the packages.

 

On MSC one night they served 7 oz Lobster tails. On NCL never saw a Lobster anywhere. I am going to play the waiting game for a last min cruise on NCL in hopes for a price drop. But it does not look good.

 

So back to a Balcony room for awhile and wait it out.

I think the Haven on the Epic is in a league of it's own. It was just phenomenal.

How did the food and service in the YC compare to the Haven?

You need to seriously reconsider your dinner venues! We were on BA in Haven in March - we had 3 SDP (included in fare - and still had them when we upgraded to Haven) and 2 Platinum Plus meals ... ate in specialty 4 dinners and used one SDP for Sushi lunch (open on sea days), and ate in Haven three times.

 

In a hindsight, if we are to do it again, we'd reduce the specialty to 2-3, increase Sushi (fantastic on BA) to 2-3 and dine in Haven 4-5 times. We are foodies and loved to try different dish each night off menu (that doesn't change, but they do throw in the Special of the Day each night).

 

It's your first NCL cruise, and I know you want to try all the specialties, however I would suggest against dining in Bermuda and go to Haven restaurant. Which restaurant are you planning in dining one night in Bermuda?

 

ENJOY!!!

Agreed! We did not want to leave the Haven restaurant!

Lunch!

 

 

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That's the dinner menu ...

Looks like I might find some of my NCL suite contemporaries in the MSC YC. Fun.

 

To all of you who are also going to try MSC they are still doing the loyalty match. Be sure to do it asap.

 

 

 

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See ya over there!

Hey all,

 

Me and the wife to be are cruising for our honeymoon in November. The first week we are in a Haven Spa Suite on the Escape, we then disembark for one day and board the Getaway which we currently have a Mini Suite booked. This will be our first time in the haven having previously done mini suites.

 

My question is if it was you would you upgrade the second week to a haven suite and if we don't will we notice a huge difference?

Upgrade, or you will be very disappointed!

That is one of my complaints about MSC - hard to get rooms for 4 in YC. So we did as Two Wheels did for our trip in August. We have one Royal Suite and then a YC1. We have 6 in total and the price we paid is less than what we would normally pay for one higher end suite on NCL.

That is a good idea.

Ok, Not trying to be the downer, just honest. I did lots of research, Gambe's only part because he was not YC. My 1st YC YouTube video showed dancing waiters carrying silver platters of baked Alaska, decked with sparklers, being delivered to clapping formal clad guests. Way too 80's throwback. Just nowhere in my wheelhouse of "luxury". Making wait staff dance should be categorized as a human rights violation, IMO!!! Maybe formal wear on a cruise too... so, just didn't seem my kind of lux.

 

 

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Thank you, I really appreciate the feedback.

Part of it is due to the suites being smaller than NCL, especially higher-end NCL suites.

I really wanted to try MSC, but the lack of a 2-bedroom / 2-bathroom suite is a deal breaker for us, and I'm only interested in the Yacht Club.

Don't you think you get what you pay for? Keep thinking of the Gambe MSC review. If you've not watched it, you should... Maybe there is a reason their suite prices are so much lower? Just saying. Couldn't talk myself into Yacht Club after doing my homework.

 

 

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Too much fluff in his reviews for me to sit through. Was MSC that bad? You have to remember that it is subjective. You couldn't pay me to sail Carnival again, but some folks love it.

Contrary to popular belief many of us who book NCL suites outright, (not bid), are not independently wealthy. I work full time and budget for my vacations.

 

Originally, when I graduated to suites it was about 2x to 2.5x the cost of a balcony. Boy has that changed. It is now several times the cost.

 

Like others have said I am not willing to book less than a suite and gamble on the bid process.

 

One of the "benefits" of booking suites outright was getting all the perks and not being charged the additional "fees".

 

Now that NCL has become the "Priceline of Cruises", those who have paid outright are paying probably double of what the upsell next door did.

 

Like I said, MSC has matched my loyalty status, I am now BLACK. So, I will be trying them out, likely the Yacht Club. Or anotother line. Time to branch out.

 

Bummer, because I kinda fell in love with the Epic Owner's Suite in March. But ready for new adventures. Things change and we move on.

 

Hope to cruise NCL in the future.

 

 

 

 

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I could not agree with you more! We do have a suite booked on the Epic for March, thankfully before this new charge was put into play. I will look at MSC first for the next cruise though.

I looked at one date (I'll be on Seaside that week) and saw the "new for Haven" promo charges.

Does NCL want to lose more business to MSC's Yacht Club?

Seems like it. We would like to try MSC, but every time I check the sailings, the larger suite is always sold out!

Hmm...having a hard time wondering why anyone would care all that much about a few hundred dollars extra for a cruise that is costing them over $7K. I can't even imagine paying that much per person for a cruise....but if I could afford it, I don't think I'd be stressing over a bonus change in pricing.

It's the principle of it. We are paying a lot for the Haven. We shouldn't have that thrown in on top of it! It's not "stressing" ... just voicing displeasure.

To my (limited) knowledge, up until this evening Haven cabins included all applicable Free at Sea promotions with no extra service charges. This evening on the NCL website, choosing a Haven cabin now entails choosing which promotions you would like included, and corresponding extra service charges for the ultimate beverage ($199) and dining package ($25) promotions (same as non-Haven cabins). Another case of declining by degrees?

Yes, I noticed that too when I went to re-book for the added OBC.