UKstages

it would if that's what i had said. but i didn't say that. i said you had to be connected to the ship's intranet. not the internet, as others have stated. those are two different words. look closely at the spelling. the intranet is an internal closed loop network that exists for communications only onboard the ship. you can connect to the intranet to use the app or you can connect to the intranet to utilize the back door iMessage loophole. no use of internet minutes is required. what makes this confusing to some is that you do in fact access the internet (communications on the world wide web beyond your ship) by first connecting to the same intranet, which people commonly refer to as the ship's wi-fi. all these terms are used rather indiscriminately, but they have unique meanings. once connected to the NCL network, you can activate internet minutes through the app or by logging on to the website "login.now." sort of. but you connect to the intranet and the internet by using the very same wifi network. which is why many find this so confusing.

that would be kind of quick for the closing down of the prima's signature entertainment. my best guess is it's a technical snafu with the booking engine. it happens quite frequently. typically, they would announce the removal of a show several months in advance. then again, it's NCL and anything could happen. but i doubt the show would be closing on such short notice.

there are no easy answers to your questions. if everybody is on a iPhone or other apple device, you won't need the NCL app for messaging. at the present time, there is a backdoor for iOS devices that allows messaging to go through via iMessage. no fee, no registration. works for those on and off the ship. you just have to be connected to the ship's intranet and you don't need the NCL app for that. if one or more of you are on android devices, then you'll need the NCL app, you will need to pay $10 per person and everybody will need their own login. (if you sign them in to their devices with your login, you'd just be - in effect - repeatedly texting yourself.) similarly, if they want to use the NCL app for schedules and for booking of reservations and such, they will need - obviously - to download the app and will need their own logins.

what genuinely concerns me is when the person in front of me in line at the bar is counting raisins in his cookie and not acknowledging the bartender, which means I have to wait even longer. by the way, kudos to this person for finding a cookie! respect!

i save a copy of the edocs to my computer and my ipad, but i use a photo of the bar code, stored in "photos" on my phone to actually check in. my spidey sense tells me that some of the resistance to storing things in the "wallet" is from android users who may be unfamiliar with the concept of the apple wallet and how some companies provide links to easily download purchased products (airline tickets, theatre tickets, hotel reservations, etc.) to the apple wallet for storage and retrieval.

yeah, consistency is definitely a thing across successful brands. and you'll hear NCL execs, especially in food and beverage talk about this. they happen to be misguided because i believe they are unsuccessful in pulling this off all the time (which is why one cagney's is great and another sucks out loud in technicolor). but NCL is a big champion of brand consistency and believes the food and the experience should not differ from ship to ship in each of its franchises... the local, cageny's, onda, la cucina, los lobos, etc. if brand consistency wasn't a thing... and the burger or filet or caesar salad wasn't supposed to be the same on the joy as on the jewel... and the seven layer cake in cagney's isn't supposed to be identical on the breakaway as it is on the getaway... than why does every ship have the same pictures of the food, with plating instructions, hanging prominently on galley walls across the fleet? as for those who constantly complain... more often than not, those branded as "constant complainers" are people who have a different perspective than one's own or have experienced different things on a cruise than you yourself have. you never hear people griping about people who repeatedly express an opinion similar to their own... it's when the opinion differs that it somehow becomes a chronic "complaint." yes, there are indeed people who always seem to find fault and who express themselves in an overly negative way, often being unkind to fellow posters. (that's why invision put an "ignore" button in their forum software.) but for the most part, these folks just have a very different, but almost always equally valid opinion.

at my recent “dinner with the officers” onboard the getaway, i had an assistant to the assistant guest services manager (whom i didn’t talk to since he was at the other end of a rectangular table of 12). and also some sort of entertainment officer with a very thick accent, who seemed really baffled by my questions and comments about NCL’s shows and the shift away from broadway entertainment. after a few minutes of this, i looked more closely at his name tag. turns out, he was an “environmental” officer, not an “entertainment” officer. my fellow guests grilled him on recycling procedures and on whether the toilet paper was now thinner and less absorbent. he said he didn’t know. my joke has always been that i would be dining with the manager of the gift shop at the so-called “dinner with the officers.” as it happens, that’s not far from the truth. you’re not really going to be dining with the captain or an actual officer. the dinner is now in an ordinary MDR, you’ll order off the regular menu and they’ll seat you at a table not far from the dance floor, at which the “burn the floor” dancers will be performing, making conversation impossible for a good half hour or so. the biggest advantage to the “officers” dinner is that you will be assigned a top notch server dedicated to your table, which easily cuts as much as an hour off the duration of the meal. and you’ll be brought what you ordered, with no mystery courses. also, they won’t typically charge you for starbucks coffee or premium alcoholic drinks ordered during the meal, regardless of your drink package status.

i agree, but i’m not sure where this rumor began that NCL was cutting full scale broadway entertainment to appeal to younger cruisers. (actually, now that I’ve thought about it, i do know how and by whom this rumor started, at least on cruise critic!) if they want to appeal to younger cruisers, they should be increasing their commitment to broadway-style shows. the average age of the broadway theatregoer in the 2022 - 2023 season was just 40.4 years. NCL is cutting large production shows because they are ridiculously expensive to produce and maintain. end of story. saying they are doing it to appeal to younger cruisers would be like saying that they cut out smoked salmon at the buffet and removed cookies and veuve and 2X daily housekeeping and a second haven lobster to appeal to younger cruisers. or older cruisers. or the LGBTQIA+ community. or kids. or nurses. or accountants. no, they didn’t. they did those things to save money. that does not preclude any of those people from liking or supporting those changes. but they didn’t do it for them. same thing with broadway shows. say what you will about the prima class ships (and i’ve said a lot), this is one huge advantage of them. the local is shielded from atrium nonsense. if you dine outside at the local, you might occasionally hear some screams from those using the slides, but other than that, it’s a quiet meal in the local on prima class ships.

other than the "newlywed game" ripoff that NCL does (typically in the atrium), the NCL licensed game shows (such as "price" and "press" and "wheel") are about as tame and G-rated as they possibly could be. they are often high in swarm from a stepford-husband type of host, but risqué? hardly. kids are far better off at any of those game shows than "donna" or "six" or "jersey boys" or "footloose" or "burn the floor" or MDQ, all of which feature adult themes and overt sexuality. even the kid-friendly "beetlejuice" features the same adult themes. so, i'm not sure why you would beleive that the game show trend means they are somehow walking away from family-friendly entertainment.

an even better question might be... on which ship have you found free lounge chairs with no kids with very little effort?

regarding the vibe... you've received a lot of interesting information here... some of it is accurate, some of it is not. all NCL ships are supposed to offer passes for the vibe in advance via the website or the app. that allotment often sells out in advance of the cruise. from NCL's current internal communication/spec sheet on the vibe, dated january 15, 2024: "Vibe Beach Club access is currently available for applicable ships, on sailings embarking up to 12/31/2025. Guests can pre-book full cruise-length passes for Vibe Beach Club or Vibe Beach Club Cabana (if available) rentals. ... Pre-booking is available once the reservation is in BK (booked) status." all NCL ships with a vibe are supposed to sell passes on embarkation day. if you get on the ship early and go straight to the desk where they're selling them (typically outside teppanyaki or headliners), you should have no problem securing a vibe pass. the allotment of passes on embarkation day is independent of presale. it doesn't matter if they are sold out and you don't have to hope that those previously booked will cancel. from NCL's current internal communication/spec sheet on the vibe, dated january 15, 2024: "A limited number of passes will be available for purchase on each sailing for all guests." again, that's what NCL says about vibe pass availability. YMMV. in fact, mine did. i had not previously had a problem buying vibe passes on embarkation day... until i boarded the getaway a month or so ago. my recent quest for vibe passes on the getaway was quite an adventure... to learn more, see the linked thread and begin at post #25.

watching so-called atrium "entertainment" featuring married couples, tweens and teens and trivia rockstar wannabes reminds me of when i'm asked to do self checkout at target or CVS. just exactly who are the professionals here? if i wanted to see my fellow passengers embarrass themselves, i'd head to a casino bar at 1 AM or - literally - any karaoke event in any club onboard or onshore. and watching the solos, duos and trios in the atrium makes me sad. if i wanted to see that, i'd go to youtube and watch nick the lounge singer sing the star wars theme song. and don't get me started about how it's impossible to enjoy a meal in the local (or o'sheehan's) on most ships without the clatter and din of whatever nonsense is being done in the atrium.

typically, 5:30 is no problem... generally wide open. it's the 7 - 8 pm reservations that "sell out" more quickly.

not sure that there is any connection whatsoever to the casino. i don't think many choose to play in the casino instead of attending shows. i spend a lot of time in the casino myself, but i also go to most shows in the theatre and i think NCL's shift away from broadway shows and full scale production reviews is a dangerous trend. and it's not just moving away from broadway shows, it's the dumbing down of everything else... including using recorded music tracks for singers and other entertainers. and booking solo acts like violinists. it's not cruise ship entertainment and has no wow factor. as for "kinky boots" or "footloose" playing to half empty houses... you can't run the same show for five or six years and not have a drop off in attendance when you have so many repeat cruisers. it has nothing to do with the demographics of the audience. it has much more to do with the fact that people have already seen those shows. people flock to the game shows not because of demographics or because they necessarily love game shows... they go because those shows are new and different within a cruise context. this too shall pass.

i buy cruise first certificates exclusively, so naturally i'm curious... what did you learn the hard way? and which restrictions concern you? i have found them to offer real savings, with none of the cruise next flimflam or guess work or endless waiting for a double up promo.

i have never found that to be the case on NCL. with the regular internet package i can stream. it's choppy, there may be buffering but i can stream. (but that's pretty much what i experienced with the streaming package.) are you saying they are supposed to block known streaming services such as disney+, max, siriusxm, spotify, netflix and the like? i have never found that to be the case. my understanding of NCL's streaming package is that they allegedly increase the speed. that's the extent of it.

it's called "CASNEXT," which is short for "casino next." valid on cruises of 3 days or longer. certificates are non refundable and non transferable. a $250 certificate serves as full deposit on categories up to and including club balcony or can be applied as partial payment for higher categories. not combinable with cruise first certificates. can be doubled up, if you have two certificates and if a double up promo is in effect. it's unclear if you can combine with a cruise next certificate, if a double up promo is in effect. (but most CAS guests don't have cruise next certificates.) it's 10K points for a $250 certificate, if memory serves. see a host on the last night if you wish to convert points to a certificate.

well, virginia, 85% of what you read online is likely not true. rather, the post or article or item has a kernel of truth to it, but the stories, anecdotes and facts depicted have been enhanced and fortified for comedic or dramatic effect. 10% of what you see online is just misleading or out of date information, without any enhancement whatsoever. you can rest easy that 5% of what you read online is straight up truthful, without embellishment or misleading intent.

that's OK, the thing about drinking blood and worshipping satan wasn't true, either.

according to some who have tried the unlimited service, it doesn't make any difference for streaming. many have been able to stream without the upgraded "streaming" service. and many have been unhappy with the quality of streaming when they upgraded.

because the agent is being fundamentally dishonest. because the agent is making a mistake. because the agent is being rude to a fellow human being without cause or purpose. because the agent does not give a legitimate reason for the photo rejection. because the agent lies about the reason for the photo rejection. because the photo was already accepted by a temperamental and delicate online check-in system which rejects photos that do not meet NCL's standards. because the agent doesn't know NCL's policies or requirements. because the agent is unnecessarily complicating and delaying a very simple procedure. because there is absolutely nothing wrong with the photo. because the previously submitted photo presents the guest in a favorable light and the guest wishes to see that image as he or she exits and returns to the ship and would prefer that others see the same image as they glance at the screen. because the guest knows that the photo pops up on the screen at every restaurant and customer touch point on the ship and the guest believes that a certain image will positively influence the outcome of customer service interactions. those are just some reasons a guest might object to a check-in agent imposing some cockamamie rule of their own invention for retaking a photo. there's no skirmish, no fisticuffs, no scene, no knickers in a twist... just a simple comment by the guest to let the agent know that a new photo is unnecessary and ill-advised. why wouldn't somebody do that? frankly, i don't buy your supposition. you're fighting a straw man by suggesting that somebody's "panties " would be "in a wad." nope. somebody would simply be saying, "hey, what you're doing is wrong and unnecessary." a customer has every right to express that opinion.

are you suggesting that there those in the cruise traveling demographic who might be offended by blood drinking devil worshipers in their midst? i personally don't think the average cruiser cares much about satanic sacrifices taking place at the buffet - or elsewhere on the ship - as long as they get their hash browns and, of course, their hamburger buns don't fall apart.

huh? i've lived in new york all my adult life. i know the way the game is played. rudeness, especially within a customer service context, is never acceptable as in any city, there are many lovely people here. there are also embittered malcontents, control freaks and rude people on power trips. most of these folks work at the manhattan cruise terminal. as for training, yes, they are poorly trained for their part time jobs. but many of them also happen to be embittered malcontents, control freaks and rude people on power trips. YMMVBIDIW.

i was on the getaway and in the vibe a month ago. there was no upper deck in the vibe.

many businesses do not take cash, worldwide. groceries, theaters, restaurants, jewelry stores, transportation systems. for many businesses, it's gone well beyond a preference. there is no cash on premises and no way they can provide change. want to buy a cup of ice cream or theater program in london? no cash accepted! want to travel on a bus or train? better have a card - or a travel card with currency loaded. dine in a fast food restaurant? no cash accepted. there has been a shift in the past few years. we now live in a card culture. merchants don't want cash... they don't want the liability, they don't want to be prone to employee theft and to robberies, they don't wan t to have to transport the cash to the bank at the end of the day. handling cash is messy and expensive and businesses have largely dine away with it.