hallux

2 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

I liked the sole. 

My preferred entree there as well!!

1 hour ago, astera said:

I'm actually looking forward to the steak tartare (raw) the most, but as it's a starter I just hope it's not a really tiny portion...

8 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

The steak tartar is a good sized portion

I agree.  Photo for reference - 

9 minutes ago, Distinctive-Destinations said:

or doing an excursion where you might get dirty (hiking, ATV ride, etc).

Been there, done that, but it was an excursion in Cabo on the last port stop on the cruise with just a sea day left before disembarking so no time to get laundry done after that one.

1 hour ago, astera said:

Le Bistro

This has become my favorite, and I've had it on 3 ships.

No, NCL never puts their onboard packages on sale.

14 hours ago, schmoopie17 said:

Unfortunately they kept Acapulco for our Panama Canal cruise

I got off in Acapulco on my PC cruise this year.  It was only the second cruise to stop there since their hurricane in October and it was honestly one of the best stops on the trip because of that!

Taste and/or Savor should be open, this is the case for at least all of the ships of the same class.  I can't speak to irons, I don't iron clothes (on or off cruise)

2 hours ago, SeekingKillerWhales! said:

(No idea of quality.)

Many say it's the best coffee on the ship...

While the above answers are correct, that you can send out laundry any day, you'll pay the per-item price (though I guess for a Platinum level cruiser it would still be free, huh?).  I think the OP was specifically asking about the 'fill-the-bag' special for a set price to get the entire load done since they're Gold still.

7 hours ago, julig22 said:

If you don't want to use your points for an upgrade, take a statement credit - then you will also get points for the money you spend onboard - and can also get a statement credit for those expenses.

THIS - earn the 3% on the on-board spend and then also get the $100 statement credit when you cash in the points.

I'm currently building my points for a cabin upgrade though.  I THINK I'm there, for an OV to balcony upgrade..

1 hour ago, MajSteve said:

From the electric scooter drivers who seem to think that the corridors and table seatings were created just for them and their beeping little horns

My cruise this year was a 15-day Panama Canal cruise. I have NEVER seen so many walkers, canes or scooters in one place in my LIFE!  But they all seemed relatively aware of their effect on others.  Some were inconsiderate in other ways. 

One way in which they were NOT inconsiderate - their ability to be on time!  We for sure left two ports late, one we left early but had to return for a medical, but we definitely seemed to be leaving early or on time more than not.

Hmmmm, possibly not.  I looked for a cabin tour of an Oceanview (the solo should be exactly the same as they simply recategorized them) and the items I would expect to be in the fridge (bottles of water for purchase) were on the counter/desk rather than in the fridge.

17 minutes ago, david_sobe said:

It still looked a good size.

It's still 1/6+ of a deck, it's still a good size but on days where it would have previously been difficult to find a seat it will now be damn near impossible!

48 minutes ago, snorklinbarb said:

On the 12 nt cruise,

On a 12 night there's a good chance you'll end up with 4 different comedians, 2 at a time and swapped partway through.  I did a 15 night Panama Canal cruise and the comedians were swapped out in Guatemala (it was a Miami to LA).

42 minutes ago, dssking said:

How much are the drink packages, and wifi package?  I have chosen wifi as a perk

Drink package should be $21.80 (USD) per person per day if you choose it as a perk (do you Canadians only get to pick a couple rather than all of them?)  If you're going to upgrade the WiFi to unlimited anyway it may make more sense to choose the beverage package as your perk instead of WiFi.

44 minutes ago, dssking said:

I also find it odd that the sink is in the main area of the cabin

as is the shower (not a seperate room).  I'm sure these issues have been raised before

Yup, you hit on one of the most-discussed topics about that ship - the cabin layout.

1 hour ago, cruiseny4life said:

in Beaverton,

a LOVELY town!  Oh, I have family there, and MAY have a 'connection' if in trouble with 'the fuzz', unless he's the one you're in trouble with!!

3 hours ago, sjacobs11 said:

From these photos, it looks like only the port side's hull is painted with the starboard side pretty bare. Seems more difficult to paint once it's in the water!

Look closely at that picture where you can see the starboard hull, there are MANY man lifts still in the dock, that was from some time prior to the flooding of the dock.

1 hour ago, david_sobe said:

That ain't gonna happen.

I think there have already been some reports that the laser tag is going away in favor of Spice on Encore.  I'd expect it to disappear from Bliss as well, to be replaced with more Vibe space (which matches your assertion AND the work that was done on the Joy, to make the Vibe on all 3 ships very similar).  In fact, I'd tend to believe it if Encore loses laser tag as if she doesn't lose it and Bliss does it would leave Encore as the only BA+ ship with LT and NO Spice.

Sure, some variety from ship to ship is appreciated, and there's still some, but was LT really THAT popular?

3 minutes ago, LAFFNVEGAS said:

What is interesting is the Dry Dock time is about the same as Joy but they did a lot more with Joy with expanding and totally remodeling the Spa.

That may be more dictated by the technical needs than by the remodeling.  The OL can probably be mostly deconstructed during the crossing, there needs to be some infrastructure work done to support cabins (the Joy didn't need as much as the Encore will as the Joy originally had cabins in that space) and then the cabins are 'slide-in' modules.

The OL and Laser tag/Spice flip are probably the most intensive events to happen during the dry dock.  Actually, the laser tag can probably be deconstructed during the crossing as well.

46 minutes ago, PORT ROYAL said:

As a thought…

Many insurance policies that cover House, Property, Companies, Life and Car etc., have an additional premium to cover Legal Assistance.

I'll have to double check, but that may be something in your country, I'm not sure it is in the US.

17 minutes ago, 9tee2Sea said:

that would be sad if they did that to al the ships.

Well, the only ship left to do it to if they do it to Encore would be the Bliss.  Looking at the Bliss for April 2025 I'm not seeing Balcony cabins on deck 15 forward available.  I even went out to October 2025 on a Mexican Riviera cruise in case those cabins had sold out for Alaska already.

2 hours ago, shof515 said:

they are doing this because new cabins create extra money and increases onboard spending with more people onboard.

I understand that, but the OL has always been fully-utilized when I've tried to go in and find a seat, meaning that there was nowhere to sit.  Other than the money grab there is ZERO reason this is being done.

Studio cabin - as for amenities in the cabin you get pump dispensers of hand soap by the sink and body wash and shampoo in the shower.  There will be bottles of water (I believe a San Pellgrino and another glass bottle plus a carton of water), all charged if you consume them.  There's also a hair dryer and an assortment of towels.

25 minutes ago, MajSteve said:

Our supposed "embarkation times" assigned meant nothing.

The time you selected during online check-in?  That's your check-in time at the port, not your embarkation time, though you are correct that in a lot of cases it really doesn't mean much as they don't often check it to be sure you're not too early.  

19 minutes ago, MajSteve said:

and then another hour and a half before the cabins were ready.

Par for the course recently with NCL.  Cabins were not ready until 3 PM or later on my cruises the last 2 years.

1 hour ago, jgbrown said:

I would love the print out/punch card. If you see this let me know and I'll give you my email. Planning one for an upcoming cruise.

The person you asked this of hasn't been on the boards recently (you can see this if you look at their profile), unless they have email notifications on for post quotes I don't think it's likely they will see it.  Such is the risk of digging up a 5 year-old thread...