reeinaz

I thought my experiences would have somewhat corroborated what you said. 🤷🏾‍♀️. I get that people have had different experiences. I even had different experiences. But I know for a fact that I was told on 2 different ships by experienced bartenders that they can’t make shot cocktails.

But I was told the same thing by bartenders who weren’t rookies, also on ships that were not old. So something was going on. What it was? Is it continuing? That’s the mystery.

I got grand Marnier floaters in almost all of my frozen drinks on my Prima cruise. I didn’t have the Plus package. I don’t know where floaters fall within the amount of liquor category. Would that have made a difference? is it like just a dab or something so it doesn’t really count?

Thank you to whoever mentioned Duck Farts. That looks delicious.

Yeah. We were on the same cruise. I never tried to get any shot cocktails elsewhere after being told they couldn't make them. I agree that there are definite inconsistencies in practice regardless of what corporate or anyone else says the policy is or isn't. Maybe it was an idea or an unofficial thing "email" that got passed along? But I find it hard to believe that different bartenders on different ships are just out and out wrong or mistaken or making excuses. I also find it hard to believe that the Vibe bartenders would just outright violate instructions knowing the scrutiny that they were under during the sailing (I saw them be reprimanded for people having drinks by the hot tub) and also knowing that everyone would be posting the pics of the shots on social media afterwards if not during. My guess is that exceptions can be and are made by the powers that be. Hence the change in shot policy by day 2. Now what and who those exceptions are for? I don't know. I can say that I was very happy to be able to experience shot o'clock in the Vibe though. It was one of the most memorable experiences that I had.

I don't know. The people in the cruise terminal said Guest services. There were some people who had purchased Vibe passes but their room key didn't say Vibe on it like mine and they were referred to guest services. No one that I met in Vibe purchased theirs onboard. People I chatted with that had asked about purchasing them once onboard were told they were sold out. I didn't ask where they went.

Someone that sailed on this sailing said around 3500

I also stated in my first reply here (post 173) that on 2 separate cruises I was told they could not do shot cocktails.

The bartenders at the pool bar on the Breakaway cruise I took over Halloween were not new and they told me they were not allowed to make shot cocktails. Did "they" just refer to that specific bar or ship? I don't know. I was told the same thing initially by the Vibe bartenders on the Prima over Thanksgiving. They definitely are not new bartenders. Eventually, we did get our shot o'clock shots. I don't recall anyone asking for shot cocktails individually though from them.

I had an aft wrap balcony cabin on the Conquest and was lying in my bed shortly after we were given cabin access when I saw a head from the aft balcony next door peeking around the divider, seemingly looking directly into the balcony door of my cabin. I have no idea if they could see me or not, I'm sure if it was nighttime and I had my lights on they would be able to, but I ended up keeping the door drapes closed for the entire rest of the cruise.

@travelrevealed My suggestion, and what I have done myself, is join roll calls for the NCL sailings that visit the port you're interested in. There will often be several postings regarding excursions offered by the cruisline and private excursions that people have signed up for. I am also sailing on NCL to Greenland, Norway, Iceland in August of next year.

I'm in my room a lot and I still primarily book interiors. I've discovered that I really dislike hearing people that I can't see, so balconies aren't much a of restful place for me. People go onto the balcony to have "private" conversations. A person on the balcony is talking to person inside the room. Or my favorite is someone is using a walkie talkie to talk to someone else. Oh, and the thing I hate worse than hearing all of that, is seeing a head peeking around the balcony divider.

I sail on both equally probably. I pick Carnival mostly for good deals and NCL for itinerary. For instance, for my upcoming Carnival cruise in February, I received OBC in an amount more than the price of my single occupancy room. It was enough for the drink package and an excursion or 2. But it's a typical 5-day Caribbean cruise although it will be my 1st time to Jamaica. My NCL cruise in March is to the Panama Canal and the one after that in August is also on NCL to Greenway, Norway, Iceland. My December Carnival B2B cruises were good deals again where I received a lot of OBC. But it's a 5 day eastern followed by a 5-day western Caribbean. I like Carnival comedians, but I prefer the NCL shows and musical acts. I spend more time on the pool deck on Carnival cruises and more time at the inside whiskey and mojito/martini bars on NCL. When I cruise Carnival, I prepare to "turn up" because the party is nonstop and always right there. On NCL, I have fun, but I have to make more effort to find the fun. For me, the NCL fun happens more when I find a group of people that I click with. Which is why I tend to spend more time at the interior bars, because that's where the cool kids hang out. LOL I'm not terribly picky when it comes to food, but I do miss Guy's fries, Blue Iguana's shrimp tacos and the Sea Day Brunch when I'm on NCL. The MDR food is comparable to me. I rarely eat in the buffet on either line besides the omelet station for breakfast. Oh, Carnival's Deli rocks. I can't think of anything similar on NCL. But I've never complained about the food on any cruise. I suppose that depending on what your interests are and what you find entertaining, the lines can be either pretty similar or surprisingly different. I'm a solo cruiser, so I feel like I have to be pretty adaptable. Which I am, and it works well for me. But at the end of the day, a spot in the sun and a sea breeze (both cocktail and a literal sea breeze) are enough for me. My biggest suggestion is to research the ship to find what activities are available. I feel like that has been the biggest disappointment when I read people's reviews of their cruises.

I was on the Breakaway, not in the Vibe, over Halloween. I was told that I couldn't get a shot cocktail. But I was able to get same drink as a full sized drink (Green Tea). The story I was given was a ridiculous one and won't even repeat but it involved someone who drank too many pistachio shots. I was just on the Prima, in the Vibe, and at least on that 1st day, there wasn't a shot o'clock. The bartenders again said they couldn't do cocktail shots. But the shot o'clocks eventually returned, I'm almost positive by day 2. I don't know about any other bars on that cruise serving cocktail shots or not.

@ColdCruise If I had planned on not attending, I would've cancelled. But sometimes you look up and realize the thing you had planned to do started 15 minutes ago. I suppose that's a con of solo cruising, no one to remind me of what I'm supposed to be doing. But they release the reservations 10 minutes before show time so plenty of people were able to get on from the waitlist from my conversations. I was actually thanked a few times for my no-show. lol They do claim to charge people for no-shows for dinner reservations however. I'm not sure how that would work with a la cart restaurants though. Since most of my cruises have been on ships sailing at well under 50% capacity, frequently with more crew than passengers, I discount most of my experience as not being typical. So I still consider myself a newbie. @eileeshb The bed seemed the same size to me. It is flush against the wall though as opposed to the studios on the away class ships being set in a few inches. And yes, the virtual porthole is now just a channel on the tv. I wonder if other cabins can access that channel. @MullD003Hi!!! It was so nice meeting you too!

This is my first review. I just wanted to put that out there. I’m also a new cruiser. I went on my 1st cruise in December 2019. I’ve been on a total of 10, mostly Carnival. My last 3 have been on NCL. I’m also a solo cruiser. This is a review of the Nov 19-26 sailing of the Prima. I liked it. There were some things that I didn’t like, but overall, I enjoyed the cruise. The 1st thing I did when I got onboard was find my way to making entertainment reservations (deck 6 forward in the theater.) since none could be made in advance. I typically wouldn't have done that but I ran into some people I knew in the terminal and we all boarded together, so I just tagged along. I booked the Donna Summer show, Noise Boys, The Price is Right, and any comedy show that required reservations. I think you could also make reservations for activities like the go-karts there too. You were only allowed to reserve 1 showing of each show. I did not make any specialty dining reservations. Those reservations were being made in a different area. I had already purchased the Vibe pass online and although I heard rumors that they only sold 15-20% online, and held the rest for on board purchase, I didn’t meet anyone in the Vibe who hadn’t bought theirs in advance. Maybe that’s a change they made for future Vibe sales? So since I’m already talking about the Vibe, I will start my review there. Vibe Beach Club So apparently, this was the crew from the Encore, Rommel, Michael, and Vincent aka Curly. Everyone knew them and they knew everyone. It was like being a bystander at a family reunion. The cool thing was that I was also family in no time at all. It was never crowded there although finding a seat at the bar was sometimes a challenge. We joked that it seemed like the number of chairs at the bar decreased daily. Getting drinks was never a problem however. No drinks allowed at the hot tub. it was said that the captain was very strict about some things and that was one of them. I saw white shirts frequently keeping an eye on things, whether in the Vibe itself or looking down from deck 18. The Vibe doors stayed open for long time which allowed nonVibe guests to wander in. But they were quickly informed that the area was for Vibe guests only. At first it was mostly the bartenders doing that, but as the days passed the deck attendants had taken that over for the most part. We celebrated shot o’clock several times a day. And I can now say that I’ve had a cheeseburger shot. On a previous cruise, I was told by some bartenders that they could no longer make cocktail shots. I could get the same drink full sized, just not as a shot. I was glad to see that wasn't necessarily factual. I can’t say enough great things about the Vibe bartenders. They even brought one of my friends some cereal because she realized she misjudged when the buffet would open for lunch and hadn’t eaten breakfast. Wind was never an issue. There were some temperature issues with the hot tubs the 1st day. They weren’t hot. But by the second day, one was very hot and the other was more lukewarm. I appreciated the variety. The hot tubs were never crowded. I did not spend any time in the pool area. I only walked through on my way to the buffet. I walked around ocean boulevard a few times and it never seemed overly crowded any of the times that I was there. I never had a problem finding a place to sit and relax and people watch, but I think that’s a perk of solo cruising. I only need a seat for 1. My next 2 NCL cruises don’t have a Vibe area on their ships and I’m wondering how I will adjust. lol Entertainment Out of all my reservations, I only attended Noise Boys and it was ok. I was most impressed by the 2 human beatboxes and would gladly watch a show with just them. Not to take anything away from the dancers and singer in that show. They were all very talented. I did a couple of trivia games in the Improv and I played Bingo on the last day. I also went to Karaoke one night, I think that was in the Improv also. The venue is small, but again, I had no problems finding a seat just for me. I did not attend any Syd Norman’s shows but did go dancing there late night. Rumor has it that the drummer was fired after the first couple shows for fraternization. I really missed being able to sit in O Sheehans and watch the events happening in the atrium. There is no set up like that on the Prima. I felt like events happened in specific venues and the way the ship is set up, you really have to be going to that venue to see what was happening. I didn’t really experience just wandering around and hearing violins playing Single Ladies and following that sound like I did on the Away ships. But when I did come across the various singers, they were all very good. There was one duo, a guitarist and singer, and the singer had so much energy. Another guest and I were joking to each other about how she was rocking away while singing Stairway to Heaven Bathrooms I feel like it was so hard to find a bathroom. It seems like they were all located around corners but no signs were posted saying go this way. Figure out where they are before you need to use one. I found myself looking at the posted decak mps to locate them. But my map reading skills decrease exponentially as my alcohol consumption increases. I didn't like the handles to lock the stall doors. I had a hard time gripping them and I have no dexterity issues. Food I did not do any specialty dining. I ate in the MDR, buffet, Indulge food hall, and the Local. Any complaints that I have are because something didn’t suit my taste, not because a quality issue with the food. My biggest disappointment was not being able to get nachos late at night at the Local because it isn’t on their late night menu and they do not serve blue glaciers. The buffet is only on one side of the ship, so it is a small buffet which limits the options I suppose. I also always sat in the overflow area, Food Republic, rather than wandering around looking for a seat. There is a grill area of the buffet that is right by the Vibe access doors. I found myself getting food there and eating it in Vibe quite a bit. Granted, I ate it mostly to put something in my belly besides alcohol, but I did think the choices I made were tasty ones. I had a pulled pork sandwich, thai grilled drumsticks, grilled chicken breasts, etc. They also had burgers, hot dogs, and sausages. The potato salad was definitely delicious. I ate at the food hall once for lunch during a port day. I felt bad because I ordered way too much food, thinking they were going to be small plates. They were full meals. My favorite was the lemon grass chicken soup. The broth was divine. I had Thanksgiving in the MDR. A Thanksgiving meal was the signature selection for the night. It was sliced turkey, green bean casserole, honey glazed yams, and stuffing with giblet gravy. I also got a side of mac and cheese and mashed potatoes. They had a delicious pumpkin cheesecake on the menu just for that night. Cabin I booked a studio cabin and did not regret my decision to cancel my balcony upgrade bid at all. I stayed in 12501 which is right next to one of the doors to the lounge. I didn’t experience any noise issues and it was convent for the early/late night snacks and drinks. For this sailing at least, I wasn’t charged extra (beyond have the drinks package) when I used the wine and beer and soda stations. They had stella on tap so I was a happy girl. The lodge was divided into 3 areas, one where the drinks and snacks were, another where there was a tv, and a 3rd area that just had seating. I liked that set up more than the typical lounge which was just one big area. I don’t know if there was anything on the deck 13 portion of the lounge. The stairway was unobtrusive and I had assumed that the studios were only on deck 12. So that's it. If you have any questions, I will try my best to answer.

I just returned from a cruise that stopped there. I was with some people that rented a villa. I got shrimp ceviche and stewed chicken with rice and peas and plantains. Others got burgers, chicken fingers, pub sandwiches. I didn’t think the prices were that expensive, around $13-$20 I think. We had a food/beverage concierge who brought the menus and came back and took our orders. The food was delivered within 30 minutes if not sooner. It was cheaper for us to order bottles of liquor than to purchase individual drinks. The villas were completely full during my trip. Payment was made with a credit card.

Yes. And be sure to ask clarifying questions. I called to see if i could switch from a studio to a balcony after a massive price drop. The rep said it would cost me 187. I hesitated and she said, you're not gonna take the upgrade for $1.87?? I nearly missed out hahaha

I just wanted to follow-up on this. So I have 2 cruises with US stops to compare now. I did a NYC to FL to Bahamas to FL. I was charged sales tax on my drinks in NYC and both FL ports (Miami and Port Canaveral and yeah, nowhere near Orlando!) I cruised NYC to RI, to Maine, to Canada. I was charged sales tax on my drinks in NYC but not while docked in RI or either port in Maine. And yes, I had drink packages on both cruises. So yes, it seems it varies based on the state.

No coupon for me. I am Gold and have the military discount.

My sailing is 11/19 on the Prima. People have already had their upgrade bids accepted and I'm still able to submit an upgrade bid now.

They went to boarding groups after Platinum. There was an announcement that the previous one calling for gold, silver, and bronze to board was a mistake.

Yes. They made an announcement that the previous announcement was a mistake and that boarding would start with groups 1 and 2.

Is (can) capacity ever be reported as cabins occupied vs actual number of cruisers? Some people on my last sailing theorized that's why NCL dropped the single supplement for so many cruises. And that cruise definitely had a lot of solo cruisers, or at least people as the only one booked in their cabin.

@JamieLogicalit was so nice meeting you and Ted. Mr Worldwide is a definite winer. And you were spot on about the French Onion soup at Le Bistro being excellent. I ordered it the following night at the MDR and couldn't even finish it.