Stealthdog

Looks like you had a great time!  Thanks for review!

We will be in a Family Suite on the Star in June out of Venice.  Have a question about the specialty restaurants - did you do all of them and how would you rank them (I saw Moderno, Cagney's, Teppanyaki, and I think Bistro?).  We will probably be in specialty dining every night with Platinum/UDP/Amex perks, and every ship seems to be a different experience with the restaurants.  Really interested in your experiences.  Thanks!

Are you going to be using all 6 perks?  If not, then maybe not.  They really aren't completely free perks because they have probably increased the cost per person for the cabin you are looking at to offset.  For example, it doesn't look like you are interested in the airfare or friends/family perks.  So it is really just 4 of the 6. 

What is your priority for the other 4?  It looks like with an oceanview you get 3, and inside you get 1.  Costs probably vary between ships - if there is a huge difference in cost between an inside and balcony, I would probably go inside and select which perk has the biggest value, and then see if you can upgrade for cheap.  If the difference between the cabins is negligible go with the balcony.

I'm not a huge fan of this promotion because there are things I will never use (airfare and family/friends sail free), and I think prices have probably been increased to offset these losses - so I'm paying more for things I'll never use.  Waiting patiently for this promotion to stop getting extended.

For us, it was the design and the feel of being overcrowded as to why its not one of our favorites.  In terms of customer capacity it is about the same size as the Freedom Class for RCI.  We sailed the Independence of Seas - that ship is so much better designed with a much better flow to it. 

We found the entertainment on the Epic to be outstanding and had no problems with service of food (we mostly do specialty dining).  The overcrowding felt disappointing at some of the events that you could not reserve (such as Howl at the Moon).

If the itinerary and price were right, we would absolutely sail the Epic again.  Just takes some pre-planning to make sure you book your seats for the shows before getting on the ship.  Its not our favorite, but its not as horrible as some of the reviews I have seen.

My experiences on Celebrity is it is a much older line.  Entertainment is really bad and the ship is dead by midnight.  Fantastic food, best specialty restaurant on any cruise line we have been on (Qsine), and great service.

We have seen drink packages as a perk on RCI.  Its not permanent like NCL, but it happens from time to time.

We are trying MSC this October for the first time (NY to Quebec), and yes the Platinum now translates to gold, but to be honest even their Black status is really a bunch of "meh."  Platinum-Plus is needed for Black Status match.  We are doing Yacht Club and the perks of that are already better than any status program they have. 

The Celebrity sailings I have been on have had noticeably fewer kids on it than RCI and NCL.  The longer the cruise and higher the cost, the least likely there will be many kids on it.  But, even on a ship with a large amount of children, there are typically some adult-only spaces (like Casinos) and sometimes curfews.  You will be able to find ways to avoid kids if you want.

Try some different cruise lines and see what they feel like.  I've found there are things I like and dislike on each line I've been on.  None are perfect, but all have been great.  I love the RCI ships, the NCL entertainment, the Carnival pricetag, and the Celebrity food and service.  If only all 4 could be combined into one. :)

It appears that NCL hasn't met the expectations of what you want.  I'd recommend looking at some of the upper end cruise lines (Azamara, Silversea, etc) that have fewer guests with a lower staff to guest ratio and are able to give a little more personal attention to guests that need it.  Or, if booking NCL (or any other lower end cruise line like Royal, Carnival, MSC), book a Suite category cabin.  Ultimately you get what you pay for. 

I think it is fairly common in the cruise industry that gyms are not open 24 hrs.  I don't think I have been on a line that does offer 24 hours.  I get the need to keep them closed during sleeping hours though.  I hate going there on peak times and having to wait for equipment - 6AM should be good though because no one else will probably be there.

I agree completely about the boring and repetitive menus in the MDR.  I'd mix it up a little with some of the other options - Irish Bar, Specialty Dining, etc. 

Stateroom not being clean is not acceptable.  I would ask for your pre-paid gratuities to be credited back to your account and re-distribute them accordingly.

Enjoy the rest of the cruise while you can - we are getting snow where I am today and tomorrow is going to be around 15-20 degrees F.

In that case - it looks like you got a good deal in October for your cruise.  Cruise prices change weekly.  Current quotes for balconies for the 23 Feb sailing of the Anthem with the same itinerary are $2024.32 (category 6D) to $2146.32 (category 8D).  Looks to be a little cheaper than the Norwegian you are looking at.

You probably saved close to $1000 by booking in October. :) 

Never mind - I misread your post.  Thought you said you were leaving on Feb 3rd. :)

Comparing prices between cruises when one is sailing over a Holiday weekend and one isn't won't be a good comparison though.  Sometimes cruises over holidays almost double in cost.

Its a different itinerary than yours.  The Norwegian is a Bahamas cruise that stops there and then returns to NY.  Yours is a Southern Caribbean cruise - Barbados is one of my favorite ports.

That particular one Norwegian cruise is also over a Federal Holiday (Presidents Day).  Cruises over holidays tend to cost more.

There is an 11 night on Feb 25th that has a similar itinerary. 

The appropriate comparison would have been, what was the cost of a like NCL cruise at the time you booked your Anthem cruise in October, and comparing the same category of cabin type.  Otherwise, you are comparing the price of one cruise line you booked 3 months ago to the price of another cruise line today.  I can't even tell what the price of your Anthem cruise today if I booked because the only rooms available are suites. 

It looks like the closest comp to your 12 day cruise on Feb 3rd is a 14 day NCL cruise on Feb 3rd out of NY (Escape), but they are different lengths, go to different ports, with a different embarkation port, on probably different ship categories.  The only thing the same is they leave on the same day.

A 14 night cruise in a balcony category cabin with unlimited drinks, 4 night dining, some OBC, and $50 off per for port excursion for about $4300 seems like an ok deal.  I like the itinerary on your Anthem sailing better though.

There are a lot of factors that go into the cost of a cruise - dates of the cruise, itinerary, cabin type, perks, etc.  Without knowing more details can't really comment. 

Ready or not, we are giving it a try.  Booked a Yacht Club suite on the Meraviglia for an October 2019 Canada cruise.  TA advised against it, but when he saw the price of YC compared to other cruise line suites, he changed his mind.  We have friends on this cruise that are not staying YC, so we'll be able to see the difference with their experience.

It depends on your comfort level and how much you want to personally coordinate.  Also depends on the port you are going to (some locations make it very easy to get off the ship and go on your own, others are a little more remote).  We usually do about half through NCL and half through a private company, or just do stuff on our own.

Some benefits of going through NCL (already mentioned):

- the $50 per port (per cabin) perk cuts into the cost a little.  NCL excursions tend to be more expensive.  But, if you are also able to book a distinctive voyage, you can stack that $50 with the $50 Free at Sea for a total of $100 credits per cabin.  That could make the NCL excursions cheaper than other options.

- less stress.  You don't have to worry about getting back to the ship on time, language barriers, or anything else.  NCL does everything for you, from telling you the time and location for meet up, directing you off the ship, and towards whatever bus you need to get on. 

Some benefits of going through private:

- Cost benefit.  More often than not, you can get the same experience for cheaper than NCL.

- On the flip side, you can pay more than a NCL excursion but have a very small group (4-8 people), with a private tour guide, that can be tailored for whatever you want to do.  It allows you to ask more detailed questions and not be shuttled around like cattle to your destinations.

- I have never had the experience, but some private groups guarantee you back to the ship.....so if you are late and the ship leaves, they will get you to the next port.

There really is no right or wrong answer.  Just do whatever is comfortable to you.

35 minutes ago, Grandpa Elliott said:

 

 

No you can't.  You can get the DSC removed but not the auto-gratuities.  The auto-gratuities are charged for the dining and drink packages and are mandatory.

My apologies for not being as clear.  But, yes, I wasn't referring to the 20% gratuities added to dining and beverage packages.  I was referring to the automatic daily gratuities ($13+/day). 

41 minutes ago, rhblake said:

 Therefore you probably ate most of the other 42 meals at the buffet? How did you reward (tip) all of those servers, working the buffet?

Did not go to the Buffet once.  Very rarely do we go to the buffet on any cruise line because of all the unsanitary health concerns.  Had breakfast and lunch at Cagneys every day and specialty dining for dinner for all but the three meals we had at the MDR.  We redistributed the tips directly to the breakfast/lunch staff at Cagneys.

Just got off a 15 day on the Sun.  You absolutely can get a refund for the automatic gratuities while still on the cruise.  Just go to Customer Service near the end of the cruise and they can do it for you.  We only went to the MDR 3 times over the 15 days, so we got the automatic gratuities refunded and then gave that money back to those who served us directly every day (restaurant and cabin staff), plus a little more.  It was an interesting experience - you can now do a ship charge directly to a NCL staff member.  Just give their name to the customer service and they can pull up their account number, charge your on board account, and send that charged amount directly to the NCL staff member's account as a credit.

We like going because we find them fun and there is no obligation to buy anything.  Over the years we have collected some fun pieces from multiple different artists - some unique some not.  My favorite is still our first - the 4 seasons tree by Najar.  We are on the Sun right now and their first auction was really disorganized, so we left and probably won’t go to any on this ship.  If you have an hour or two with nothing else going on, it could be fun to attend.

My experience with the Epic over the Summer was ok.  It was probably a different crew, and I didn't see the same issues of understaffing and slowness of service.  I wasn't a huge fan of the ship itself though - did not like the layout.  We found the food in the MDR and specialty restaurants to be pretty good (not as good as a Celebrity, but it was fine).  We never did the buffet, so really can't comment on that.  The entertainment was outstanding - it was the best of any ship I've been on (Carnival, Celebrity, NCL, and Royal).  Just book your dining and entertainment pre-boarding (or immediately when on board if you can't book prior) and you will save a lot of headache.

We choose our cruises based on 1) itinerary, 2) dates, 3) cost in that order.  The specific ship (or class of ship) really doesn't matter to us.  If the itinerary was right, we would go on the Epic again, but it certainly isn't one of our favorite ships. 

All cruise lines and cruise sites advertise in this manner.  Often there will be only one cruise available at the lowest price cabin for that price and it is typically sailing within a week.  I get more frustrated with the advertised price on various advertisements and sites not being to true total cost......but even still, they will typically have their caveat at the bottom somewhere in fine print that note that other fees may apply.

Cagneys twice and Le Bistro once.

Looks like I’ll be trading mine in.  This is my only non-dividend investment.  Don’t see any value in holding on to it anymore.

Compared to the other cheaper lines I have been on (Royal and Carnival), it’s pretty good.  Don’t know how they compare to MSC or Princess.  Wouldn’t expect them to be as good as the next tier cost lines (ie Celebrity, Disney, Holland, etc).  

I only go to La Cucina on long cruises to mix it up.  It’s the worst of the group IMHO.

i don’t bother with Moderno either.  I have 3 Brazilian steakhouses where I live - no ship is going to compare.

Cagneys and Bistro have always been great every time I have gone.  Tepanyaki has been ok to me - but you are paying for the entertainment and not really the quality of food.

My favorite specialty is Qsine on celebrity. My least favorite is Sushi on 5 on Celebrity - was even worse than Cucina.

i don’t do the buffets, but even when the MDRs are good, I’ll still go to several specialties per cruise.  NCLs are better than average imho.

I've left a few shows over the years early because I found them dull and boring.  I haven't seen this one in particular, but as paying customers - we shouldn't have to sit through something while on vacation if we are not enjoying it.  I don't see what the big deal is.  On some cruise lines I just stopped going to the productions.

The airfare and hotel perks are not good. Hotel appears to be limited to undesirable locations. Called for airfare and they would not confirm booking until a few days out. Not a big fan of that promotion.