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That would be great and would double the cost for sure. Thanks for the feedback. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Rob, first I would like to thank you for asking the question. I want to be transparent. My first Oceania Cruise will be November 9, 2023 on the Riviera. It will be 10-days, in the Mediterranean in a (PH3) Penthouse Suite. My post simply cannot provide you with actual experiences on Oceania but what I can do is give you some advice from my experience on other brands. When I share these the comments or shall I say opinions of my approach are mixed. About five years ago or more, I was getting frustrated on having a butler. They seems to be hit or miss. I finally had a REAL conversation with a butler and learned some things: Extra Work: Butlers do much more of their duties behind the scenes. This is especially true on the first and last day of a cruise. My original belief was the butlers just dealt with their respective guest needs. Not so. They are "Jacks of all Trades". Over Worked: You usually see butlers really over worked on Mainstream Brands like the NCL Haven or the Celebrity Retreat. When you up the classification of the cruise brand to "Premium Plus" or "Luxury", the butlers seem to focus much more on the guest needs and have the time to do that. No Crystal Ball: My conversations focused on my questions that I asked. I wanted to know what frustrated the Butlers most. The answer was surprising. They really want to please but don't you the guests wants and needs quite well enough or not at all. They don't have a Crystal Ball. I created a habit those many years ago, to give some background on my wife and I, what we liked and did not like, our requests with the understand not all could be provided. All of this in writing which I call the "butler letter". Butler Gratuities: Some brands do not include the butlers gratuities with the "Pre-Paid" gratuities. Many guest do not know that simple fact and leave without providing a gratuity for the butler which they depend on. This created a frustration which in some cases cause a less then great experience on both sides. Not saying this is right, just explaining the situation as I understood it. Since I have written my "Butler Letter", I have had good to GREAT butlers. For over 5 years, my butlers have been a hit with NO misses. To the person, when they read the letter which is kind, understanding and informational; they comment, "I wish all our guest would share this with us. It would make it so much easier to exceed our guest expectations." Flattery will get you everywhere but actions speak louder then words. The actions I received were a grand improvement. Here is the controversial part and I have been criticized enough for this practice by guest but shown appreciation by Butlers. All I am going to say is it has work wonderfully for me. In the butler letter, I put a gratuity upfront. I explain a real story where I left a ship without providing a butler with their gratuity and sent in onboard with an officer. I was totally embarrassed. So now I provide it upfront. It is up to us to have a plan to make our next cruise the best it can be. If we have had issues in the past, attempt a new strategy that can reduce or eliminate that issue in the future. What I do is not that right approach for others. It has worked for me and made my last many cruises an elevated experience. I hope this helps in some way. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

The best rule of thumb is purchase your Specialty Restaurant Packages, Vibe Beach Club, Upgraded Drink Package, Unlimited Internet and Excursions pre-cruise. If you don't want them cancel them just prior to the sailing. For reference. When I am in the Haven, I usually have two to three Specialty Restaurants. Two from the original Free at Sea and One from American Express Platinum. When I am not in the Haven, I have four or five Specialty Meals pre-done. Just me. All things are relative. Since you are somewhat new, may I suggest you look up the details for the new "Free At Sea PLUS" add on. Just read what it gives and consider from their. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Welcome to CruiseCritic.com. I will be on the Breakaway in three days. I will report back. This thread goes back and forth. I assure you, a Mudslide is on my radar. Also, B52's. As I have said so many time on this thread, "You got the right man for the job!" Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I guess I did not explain myself well. What I meant to say was, the bar in between the two specialty restaurants, on the Joy it was the "A List" bar, service both restaurants (French and Cagney's). The A list Bar opens at 5 PM. This response was relating to a specific drink served in the French Restaurant. So I was saying go to the bar, have your drinks; not go to the restaurant and not eat. My bad. I hope I clarified it. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

This should answer both of your recent questions. LeBistro is usually on one side of the ship; another specialty restaurant like Cagney's (Layout of the Joy) is on the other side with a nice bar in between them. That bar usually opens up at 5 and is a fancier bar than others. That bar serves both restaurants so as long as it is open, you can get that drink. Whether other bars can make the same special drink is questionable. My experience tells me they won't unless it is the Haven Bar. One of the reason's I get the Premium Plus Beverage Package is the French Champagne at LeBistro. Stuff is excellent. Hope that helps. Cruise well and enjoy every moment. Welcome to CruiseCritic.com by the way.

This is some what or an accurate review as I remember it. As many will say, food is subjective. I love, love, love great "Prime Rib" and the best place is "House of Prime Rib" in SF. However I also love the cheapest McDonalds Burger meal. How is that for a spectrum. My family wanted to go to the American Diner. More for the cars which are the tables than the food. Kind of like "Jack Rabbit Slims" in Pulp Fiction. Since I love the Haven Burgers, I ordered something different. I had the "Blue Plate Special" which is different every day. That day it was, Roast Beef, Mashed Potato's, Gravy and Green Beans. I loved it. My family got everything from burgers to fish/chips. They hated it. See, relative. On eating lunch at the Haven Restaurant. Lunch is also is my least favorite's meal in the Haven Restaurant. I used to get the Pork chop when it was on the Lunch Menu. My favorite is the burger. I also remember when you arrived, the Haven would have Hamburger sliders and tiny baskets of French fries. I want to add something that I really think is important. When I did my Solo Trip in March, on the Joy again, I was forced to eat outside of the Haven every meal. I fell in love with the 24/7 restaurant. The Burgers, Chicken wings, even the hot dog which was big but of average quality (I still liked it) and the fries. I even enjoyed the buffet for lunch. I found the burgers their were good if you got them just as they were coming off the grill. Not being in the Haven gave me an appreciation for the other options on the ship. The one thing we can all agree with is you are never hungry on a cruise. Cruise well and enjoy every meal.

Amen!!!

@scooter6139 Yes, the Haven will be sold out. Not just on the Joy. I most all the NCL ships. This has been explained serval times on this blog. I will simply give you my experience in a Sold Out Joy Haven. I only had to wait for dinner once and it was less than 15 minutes. The Haven Bar is always crowded but you never have an issue getting a drink. Getting a bar stool is a bit tricky. The Haven meals, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinners never really change so you might call that Standard Lunch Menu. You are also offered a complementary lunch at the American Diner. I would pass on that. My preference is the Haven Restaurant Lunch. I hope this helps you and your plan. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

It is on the way to NOLA. It is a Lego Factory Store. Seems my family is into Lego's for Xmas. I on the other hand want NOLA food and drink. This time, I lost the battle so Lego Town it is. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

November 30, 2022: Four days to go. So much to remember: The Shooter Drink Controversy: I have taken the assignment to see if NCL changed policies on drinks like B52's (Shooters). Also, if the Vibe still does the Shooter Hour happy hour. I am on it. NCL Bid Upgrades: I noticed today that the upper categories like spa suites through Haven are all sold out. That usually means that the upgrade bids assignment has started. I don't think on this ship anyone was upgraded to the Haven. Cruise Critic M&G: Over 150 people will be at the M&G which is one of the larger counts I have ever heard of. Pre-Cruise Correspondence: This is the first time I have not received anything in the mail. It is also the first time I booked through NCL Casino at Sea. We made our own luggage tags. Packing: Luggage pulled down from storage and packing today. This includes cleaning out the SUV for the 6 hour drive. Lego Town: We will stop in Lego Town on the drive up. Can't wait. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

They are high end. The brand had changed recently but you will be fine with what is provided. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@id10t You are looking at this all wrong and if you read my posts, you know that I also have had some folks aggressively disagree with me. I share this for context. Your stream has gotten a great deal of attention. This is very rare. It is also a complement to you. You reported on something that happened to you. It should not have happened to anyone. If folks were not interested, they would not have commented. Allow me to approach this a different way. Unlike others that just started their account on CruiseCritic.com, you have been on CruiseCritic.com for over 4 years. You post 70 times which means you only post when the subject is important to you. You did a good thing. When you explain something like your topic, you will always have folks that challenge you. Again, I am coming from a position of strength here. When I started posting, my grammar and spelling was so bad that folks did not care about my message. My grammar and spelling are even worst today. I was completely offended at those folks that called me names. That is just social media however it still hurt. Let it be water off a duck. Thank you @id10t, you made my day. You gave me a fun thing to do that was not even a thought prior to your topic. You engaged lots of people and you were always nice about it. NCL and all other cruise brands are working in territory's that is unknown right now. For me, I will now order a shooter at every bar for my first drink. If they stop serving them, I will have the most fun of my life by publicizing it all over the internet. I assure you, your Op-Ed will live on and you will get all the credit for it. Remember, you took the road that most folks don't take. The High road. Nothing wrong with that. I hope you enjoy the buzz you created. Again, I really needed it today. It was so much fun. Thank you again. Cruise well and post again.

@reeinaz This Stream has just taken a wonderful and fun turn. I am so excited about the "Quest for the Best Shooter Drink!". I had no idea there was a drink called "Duck Farts". That is a must. I also had no idea the Vibe had a Shooter Drink Happy Hour. My only hope is that I remember this cruise so I can write about it. Cruise well and bring Tylenol for the Handover.

@behan You are messing around with my good time next week. I am going to make believe you did not post this. That will force me to go to every bar and order a shot, with a picture to post. Please keep your experience on the down low. I just got really excited about my cruise which I will not call, "The Quest for the Holy Shooter Drink!!!" BTW, I love the get away. Have a ball on in a couple of years ago. The first time I did a dead drop water slide at age 62. Awesome. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Name the Movie: "If I would you, I would drink heavily!", "I would listen to him, he is in pre-med!" Cruise well and it will be a good thing that I am not driving the boat.

I have never heard drinks costing more or less from one bar to the next. I am confused for the time being on Baily's. When I do me "Important" research, it will be focused on the Premium Beverage Package not the "PLUS". That is the real question. I wish NCL would pay more attention to this site and have official representation on policy like this. Seems like the Customer Centered Thing to do. To stay on track, I challenge those that commented on this stream to give me a "Specific Drink" to order. If we are going to do this, let us do it right. Guinea Pig Gary is open to suggestions. Cruise well and enjoy every moment. "Shots R Us!"

The mystery is now over, I will confirm it next week. The author did his best to inform us which is all we can ask anyone. No one did anything wrong and at least now we all know that we can have as many shots as we want. Thank you to the author for his/her concern. I am personally happy that I don’t have to go to every single bar on the ship and order shots. I can’t do that anymore. But there was a time. Cruise well and enjoy every moment

Thank you again @mtrancher. You completely understand what I was saying. I will do a real time report if after I test the waters or spirits, I can still type. I have a tendency to over enjoy my first day especially when you have been waiting over a year to cruise. I am also happy to say, I was not cancelled once for this cruise. Almost makes me feel uncomfortable. But I digress. Cruise well and Shots for everyone.

@mtrancher I have not booked a bet in a very long time. What do you think the odds are? I will play this fairly. I have the Premium Plus Beverage Package and I am also in the Vibe Beach Club. With everything I hear on Social Media one thing is always true. What you think is 100% correct often has some other information you did not know about. Example, I heard that Bailys Irish Cream was no longer on the Premium Beverage Package. If this is the case, I will find this out next week also, then a lot of the shooter drinks would not be included in the normal drink package. I think everyone knows, I will shoot (Pun) them straight and in doing so might have to do a few Shooters. Just the price of admission and somebody has to take a bullet for the team. I am your man. What I promise to do is differentiate the two drink programs. This mystery will be solved shortly. I also promise to tell everyone where the best Prime Rib is. On am on the job, sir. Cruise well and Drink at every moment.

Hello sir. I learned this from my mistake or almost mistake. Years back, I put those pretty luggage tags on my luggage that came from the cruise brand. I check my luggage at the airport, pick the luggage up and by the time I got to the port, NO luggage tags. That got me thinking. Fix the potential issue which lead to my plastic luggage tags. Thanks for the shout out. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I know you are frustrated. You attempted to share something to many which is an important change on any NCL Ship. What happens when you do this is the responses are both positive and some challenge you. I am cruising on the NCL Breakaway on Sunday. I will find out if the Breakaway has the same new policy and report back. Your thread is the only thread that brings this topic up that I have read. So folks will be skeptical. Please understand, in the last 30 days this blog has gotten some posts that were from folks that after research were only here to cause commotion. I really don't think that is the case with your post. Just wanted you to know why some folks are reacting the way they are. Thanks for the heads up. I am on the job. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Normally 30 days. I am traveling out on Sunday of this week. I still have not gotten mine. For me, this does not matter. I always print the luggage tags from the Online Check-In documents provided at 21 days. I put those printed and colored luggage takes in a clear plastic tag holder gotten from Amazon. The ones the Brand sends can come off and or be taken off to easily. Just my way, not everyones approach. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

NCL took Florida to court to force their policies. They won and so some of the restrictions were not needed. We all have to let the past go with Covid. Not saying Covid is not here forever. How to handle it was not know for a long while and I question it even now. Not saying what any Cruise Line or Brand did was right. Just saying, lets do a restart and give all brands the benefit of the doubt. I Sill like NCL best. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

If you are happy with Carnival, you should stay with Carnival. I have personally cruised, NCL, Carnival, HAL, Royal Caribbean, Crystal Cruises and Celebrity. My favorite is NCL. My least favorite is Carnival. First, cruising like dining is very personal. What I like, you may not like. Our likes and dislikes are created over a lifetime of experiences and what we are looking to experience on our vacations. Let's break it down and see if it helps you a bit: Food and Dining: My rating of all Mainstream Cruise Brands on their MDR is average at best. This is why I usually purchase Specialty Dining Packages. Now Breakfast at the MDR I have found to be outstanding. The food in general has always been much more to my liking on NCL. That said, my trip on Crystal before they went out of business was the best i have ever had. I find that the Food at the MDR on Carnival was below average. Remember, personal preference. The Specialty Restaurants seem to match between these two cruise brands. Excursions: The same when considering the Caribbean. No real difference. Entertainment: I prefer the Broadway shows on NCL and always had. The production shows on Carnival were always amateurish to me. We would sit on the last row, on the end so if we did not like the show we could leave and not disturb anyone. Some folks hate NCL shows. Again personal tastes. Bars and Lounges: As much as I have drank on cruise ships, I find that Carnival is a lot crazier at the bars. More energy, younger crown, more shots and sometimes a few disagreements. This happens on all ships however it seems the drinking on the NCL cruise I have gone on was much more reserved. Cabins: I have found the cabin's outside of the VIP area's like the Haven to be slightly larger and better equip than Carnival. Demographic: Younger crowd on carnival; Family Crowd on NCL; older crowd on HAL; Retired crowd on Crystal. I am 65, like young people and still prefer NCL. These are my high hard ones. I still say, if you like Carnival, you found you brand. I just wanted to honor your question. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.