Goldenknight

THIS. I don't think so.

Let's draft a disclaimer, too, on behalf of NCL : Caution. Rain is wet ("too wet") 🤔

It was a transatlantic cruise, on the Joy. It was cancelled due to dry dock scheduling. IDK if other cruise lines do this, but providing that discount for a future cruise, when my booked cruise isn't sailing for another year is unexpectedly awesome. I'm familiar with EU 261 though, having lived abroad, years ago. Didn't know any cruise rules then, as never cruised until 2019.

Will book a similar two week trip, but with itinerary to suit the time of year we now go

Life teaches us lessons that hopefully stay with us in the future. Almost 20 years ago, we toured Prague and Budapest. Planned and booked everything ourselves. . . airfare, hotels, and sightseeing. For one reservation, I noted on the hotel website that this property had self-service laundry facilities for guests. Relied on that information, so as to avoid finding a laundromat. Mistake was not calling to verify this directly with that hotel. The hotel had removed the laundry facility onsite, and never updated their website. I recall I was upset, with hotel employees who had nothing to do with that website. I learned. Unfortunately, some people can't , or won't learn. Unrealistic expectations will typically disappoint. You can't blame NCL for everything disappointing that happens in life. (the horror of not having that champagne on board comes to mind)

Two months ago, I was on the Bliss, aft cabin, so we walked hallways a lot past other cabins. One morning, we saw a cabin steward (not ours), leaning against the door, with his head resting on the door jamb. I asked him if he was okay, thinking he was feeling faint. I looked in that room, it was the room category where there are two bunk beds, in addition to the full sized bed. There was garbage everywhere. Not just piles of clothes and opened suitcases, but leftover food junk covering the floor. Not just dishes . . . food. That steward was fine, so he said. It's not NCL's fault who boards their ship every cruise. The level of inconsiderate attitude towards other humans is incomprehensible.

A few months ago, we booked a two week cruise, sailing almost a year from now. Last week, I noticed the cruise had disappeared from the NCL website, but thought it was just I.T. glitch. Today, got email from NCL that the cruise is cancelled. I'm getting a full refund back, plus a discount on a future cruise, valid for 18 months. Refund: expected. Discount on future cruise: unexpected. It's a year out, it's not as though we were inconvenienced, as though the cruise was sailing in the next month or so. Legacy airlines have no remorse about changing their schedules, cancelling flights . . . have never received anything more from them beyond here's a refund if you want to rebook. I've been "walked" from oversold hotels, but that's only on day of arrival at their hotel, and so they pay for my stay elsewhere, plus refund any deposits. That's normal. So, once again, nice gesture from NCL. I've sailed on just one other cruise line, so perhaps this is normal, IDK.

Today is the first day in nearly two months that I've logged on to read comments on the CC boards. . . partly because we are again on the Bliss next week, so looking for new reviews/helpful comments since our last cruise in March. **Sigh** Many thanks to poster - graphicguy - - for the nice Bliss review. Otherwise, just posting in my old thread, and reiterating what apparently can't be emphasized enough - - look for the positives because we are all fortunate to be able to cruise, meet crew from other countries, and enjoy that ocean breeze. Seven days till onboard!!

I've highlighted the sentences of your post that emphasize the "hazard." Due to unsafe conditions? What was that? What suggestion did you make to "address the hazard?" Remove all naturally occurring rocks on the ocean floor? Erect billboards warning "future visitors" that there may be rocks on the ocean floor? Much ado, maybe expecting "something."

I didn't notice this until today. There is a little symbol next to my name on this thread. I clicked on it, it says "Great Review" and then "rare." Apparently, this is "mabuti." I don't know how it got there, so wanted to post "thank you" to those of you who replied on this thread, and to whomever thought I had something interesting to say. Maybe I am a Norwegian "apologist." I seldom post on this forum, but have read numerous threads (haha, I mean complaints). Wishing that on our next few cruises, that we meet the charming posters here from this thread that share our appreciation for NCL and cruising (just won't find me on any ship in March 🙂 )

Adding a little insight here to my original post: (1) we book and pay for the cabin category we want. On NCL, have sailed twice in the Haven, plus a balcony, aft balcony, and a few simple oceanview cabins. Tried the online bidding process once, nothing, that was it. Numerous recurrent threads on C.C. about bidding, status upgrades, and accompanying stress/anxiety/disappointment. (2) Never have any drink package, even when "free" at sea. Never. Iced tea, hot tea, water are just fine. Numerous recurrent threads on C.C. about specific liquor options, will it be available, and on and on. (3) grateful that NCL (and other cruise lines) are still in business, cruising. The impact of the Covid shutdown on all business, especially cruise lines, is significant.

Spouse and I never cruised until 2019. We've now sailed on NCL seven times, and once on another cruise line. Even though our most recent cruise on the Bliss (our third on that ship) was disappointing, the key word there (factually) is "disappointing." It was most definitely not terrible, horrible or the "worst" (insert any negative adjective there). In fact, we take accountability for being foolish enough to book a March sailing, not realizing the profound impact of cruising during spring break month. (silly us, thought it was far enough away from Easter week). Fortunately, we also do not blame NCL for our disappointing experience. I've previously factually stated that it is NOT the fault of NCL who boards their ship, they exist for the revenue/shareholders. So, 2100 kids on board that sailing . . . well, it's revenue. Of course, the ship was not overbooked, since that's physically impossible to do (indeed, there are only X number of cabins with X occupancy limits) Having experienced the disappointing along with the overwhelming awesomeness of NCL, here's what we learned: (1) The crew tries. No matter what, they TRY to ensure you have a great cruise. Management CARES, the crew CARES, they will do everything they can to make you happy. It's easy to be treated well by the crew when you treat them well as just people. Not servants. Spouse and I have received innumerable unexpected perks from just being polite and respectful, even when "stuff happens." We have never asked nor "demanded" compensation (more free internet, more free ____) Never. (2) Give NCL the opportunity to "fix" what you don't like while you are on board, not by griping here, either during or after your cruise has ended. Spouse and I had a couple of unusual issues on day one of our last cruise. We advised the appropriate departments of said issues on day one. Done. It was all resolved immediately, with grace and kindness. (3) We both learned to speak some Tagalog. We are not proficient speakers, but communicate reasonably well. The result: profound joy, some amusement (when the crew member points out our word choice/pronunciation error) and enriched time on board (4) Appreciate the human investment the officers have on board. They are away from home for months at a time, and may actually want to talk about stuff besides the speed of the ship and the waste management system. We're happy to see them dining in the buffet at any time of the day, even on embarkation day. We've been remembered on subsequent cruises by a couple of senior officers (for the right reasons, ha ha). The unexpected perks are special and always amaze us. (one encounter happened in the buffet on day one, before they even had the chance to look up our cruise history to refresh their memory. 🙂 ) (5) Before disembarking, take time to fill out a Crew Hero card (or more than one). I have personally seen the binder of one crew member, who retains those cards in that binder, once the cards are circulated to management and find their way back to that crew member. In sum, we are thankful we've had 90% awesome experiences and just one disappointment that came last. Had this last cruise been the first ever, we might have never cruised again, thinking that was a "normal" experience. Factually, 2100 kids will impact your cruise. That doesn't mean the entire crew, including senior officers, won't do their best (with what they are given that week). FYI, we stayed on the Bliss all week, no port visits at all. Out of 20 meals on board, 16 were at the buffet. (never do speciality dining).

One week on the Bliss. I wrote a lengthy trip report in the Reviews section of NCL, which may take a day or two to post, I think. Rather than repeat it all here, I will summarize. I encourage folks to read my review as it is quite detailed. In sum, this was the most disappointing NCL cruise we have been on (out of six previous cruises). Grossly overcrowded and understaffed. Out of 4700 passengers on board that week, 2100 were kids! I doubted that number the first time I heard it, but asked a couple of senior officers, including the G.M., who all confirmed that number was accurate. I don't blame NCL for the types of people that board their ships or their demographics or ages. They take the revenue, but it's not the fault of NCL who ultimately sails with them. On this cruise, we endured 2100 kids, mainly teens and tweenies, who ran amok unsupervised with no parents in sight. Nice that parents think it's okay to abrogate any responsibility for their kids once we all board. But, it is simply not my job, nor the job of the crew, to babysit and manage these kiddos. Ovewhelmingly, they like to run, run, run, preferably with food in their hands that they grabbed with bare hands off the buffet. Good luck staying upright, and not getting mowed down by the little darlings. I felt that NCL dumbed down the food choices and quality because they know a month in advance the demographics of who is on the cruise. IMHO, the food was targeted towards making the kiddos happy: more pasta, more pizza, and more desserts. Nothing that made us say, wow. Staff was sometimes abrupt, but mostly friendly. They tried. If this was my first ever NCL cruise, I doubt we would ever return. Just read my full review later, when it posts.

I'm on one week of your BTB cruises. We're in an aft-facing balcony cabin. We booked and paid for what we wanted. You didn't respond to another poster, so I'll ask the same question again: Why do you think you were "lied to for weeks" and then "on hold for hours" . . . about what? Upgrades are subject to availability and NCL is not going to displace someone else if the ship is full. The ship is full.

Questions, we have lots of questions! We are on the Bliss sailing Mar. 12. Please reply at your leisure, thank you. ** How many people approximately on your sailing? Lots of kiddos? ** Is the buffet closing early (930 pm) rather than staying open till 1130pm as in the past ** Who is the cruise director? Previous Bliss sailings, I think we had Dan Dan ** Where did you dine for lunch on embarkation day? Previous Bliss sailings, we went to the buffet, but if the ship is totally full, probably not a good idea, so we are thinking of going straight to Savor or Taste for lunch. ** Did you make dinner reservations on day one for the MDR? Where did you do that? We never do speciality dining but often choose the MDR; on full ships, sometimes that involves a wait without a reservation. ** Will you be using the thermal spa? We bought spa passes for the week, hoping for some respite from huge crowds. Wondered if the spa is busy on your sailing. Thanks for helping out. enjoy your cruise

interesting

I agree with most of the other posters here that this thread is devolved. When I first posted, it was a factual description of our recent (Jan. 2) Celebrity cruise. I provided factual details of what we experienced. Now, it seems, a few posters' only intent is to demean or mock other posters. I never did eat stringy beans. It's silly and non-productive. My advice: don't feed the trolls under the bridge. Meanwhile, we all have the ability to talk with our wallets. I've had six absolutely delightful NCL cruises, and two more NCL cruises booked for this year. I won't be giving Celebrity a second chance. Whatever other posters do, it's your choice, not the trolls who spout unsubstantiated, misinterpreted "stuff."

You asked if you can use my postings in such an email . . . of course. This is a public forum, I wouldn't post here if I didn't have the expectation my words might be shared. 🙂

It's easier to evaluate this if one relies on facts, rather than just opinions. The F &B director and his head chef on my Jan. 2 Solstice cruise proclaimed : (1) Celebrity wants to push everyone into the MDR/speciality restaurants, (2) guests all "want to be served dinner", and (3) it's all about cost savings because of food waste. That is the spin, IMHO. Here's a fact: The dinner buffet is reduced to 20% of its food offerings because of food waste? That suggests that Ivan and Manesh (i.e. Celebrity) think they don't have food waste at breakfast and lunch buffets. IMHO, it is contradictory. Here's a fact: I haven't read a single post in this thread that Celebrity surveyed its finest valued patrons and asked them if they prefer to be "served dinner". I emphasize that I'm just stating I haven't read any such post . . . maybe Celebrity did this and that's how they intuitively know that we ALL want to be served dinner, justifying no dinner buffet option. Here's a fact: we were hunted down by the MDR head waiter, asking why we were eating at the buffet that night and not the MDR. It's not the same as casually encountering a Celebrity employee while wandering the ship, and they inquire if all is okay. This is Celebrity instructing their head waiter to embarrass himself and hunt down errant guests. Now, my opinion: we live in Las Vegas. Buffets at our doorstep, many of which did not reopen post-pandemic. I asked the G.M. of M Resort here (once had an excellent buffet) why he chose to not reopen the popular M buffet. His excuse: too much food waste/food costs. It wasn't about that at all, it seems, based on the numerous buffets all over Vegas that did reopen. The queue to go to the Wednesday night lobster buffet at the Palms is typically a three hour wait. Prices have risen astronomically here for buffets ; Wynn dinner buffet averages $80 per person. Queues to go are up to two hours most nights. Wicked Spoon Buffet at the Cosmopolitan has always had individually plated "small plates" of most of their food choices. . . to minimize guests scooping huge quantities of food onto their plates. It's just my opinion, FWIW, but this isn't about food waste/food costs. If it was, the bean counters at Wynn, Cosmo, and so on would never have reopened their buffets and funneled their guests into the equivalent of the MDR (coffee shop, steakhouse, etc) And, just like Celebrity, Wynn, Cosmo and all the others have shareholders to whom they are accountable. Somehow, those buffets reopened successfully.

I posted (#533 in this thread, I think) about our five day sailing on the Solistice on Jan. 2. Based on recent posts, here's a few more facts (not opinions), so judge for yourself: (1) After going to the buffet on the first night, and finding it 80% shut down, except for the pizza and pasta, we went to Guest Services on day two. Asked to speak to the Food and Beverage Director for the Solistice. Ten minutes later, I sat down with Ivan, the F & B director and his head chef, Manesh. They were polite. I told them I was disappointed about the lack of selection at the dinner buffet, and also the cold food. Their response: Celebrity did in fact want to push everyone to eat in the MDR or in the speciality restaurants for dinner. This was a cost saving measure because so much food is wasted at the buffet. No response about why Celebrity didn't disclose this before our cruise. Ivan also suggested that Celebrity thinks people "want to be served dinner". (His words, not mine, and I disagree). I told them we live in Las Vegas, buffets at our doorstep, we could have stayed home and enjoyed frozen EGGO's out of my freezer before eating pizza every single night. Manesh said that the dinner buffet would have "two proteins" every night; we didn't see that. (2) We had never sailed Celebrity before, so I don't know the configuration of the MDR previous to our Jan. 2 sailing. Because Celebrity's aim was to force everyone to eat anywhere except the buffet, that means they may have needed to add more seating. This may explain my factual statement that two-top tables were shoved together just mere inches apart. It was neither relaxing, luxurious, nor comfortable. It was awkward . . . especially when people were coughing and sneezing A LOT on this cruise. (3) I can factually confirm that Solistice employees made note if you did not show up at your assigned table at your assigned seating at dinner. We went once, didn't return. That night, sitting and relaxing at a nice window table in the buffet, along comes our head waiter for our table. He asks us why we are not in the MDR. It was awkward. Then, unbelievably, he begged us to give only top ratings on the Celebrity survey post -cruise "because our salaries depend on those ratings." Having sailed six cruises, exclusively on NCL, never once have we been (a) hunted down, to find out where we were at dinner, and (b) implored to give high ratings for anything on a NCL survey. It was awkward . . (4) I only have six cruises on NCL with which to compare our single Celebrity foray. We cruise because we want to totally relax, nap when we want, eat when we want, and have a few dining choices. On every one of our NCL cruises, we eat the dinner buffet at least four out of seven nights., sometimes more. It's convenient, it's relaxing, and no we do not go on a cruise because "we want to be served" as Ivan suggested. Moreover, there is plenty of food wasted at the buffet at breakfast and lunch, so what makes dinner so unique . . . Nothing. Other than cost saving nonsense. For those folks who have upcoming Celebrity cruises and are upset that they didn't know of these changes, well, consider this: we were totally blindsided because our Solstice cruise was the first ship to implement these changes, said Ivan. Had we known, yes, we would have stayed home in Las Vegas. We wasted money on airfare to L.A., a night in a hotel prior to sailing, and came home regretting it all.

We sailed for the first time on Celebrity - - the Solistice, Jan. 2nd departure. Thank goodness it was only a five day cruise. Most mediocre cruise ever, and we will stay with NCL . Dining options were horrible for those of us in simple oceanview cabins. Menu selections terrible and food was often cold. Having the dinner buffet only open 20% was the worst. Pizza and pasta. If you think pizza is a reasonable dinner option every single night, then Celebrity is for you. Pasta was rubbery, cold, inedible. Soggy pizza great for teenagers. As for the single main dining room, if you're travelling as a couple, you will be squeezed into two-tops with just INCHES away from the next table. Totally off-putting, no we don't want to sit on the laps of the couple next to us. Covid, anyone? So, we ate the main dining room once, and then the 80% closed dinner buffet on the other nights. YUCK. Never again.