UKstages

on the getaway a couple of weeks ago at full capacity, taste and savor and tropicana were routinely quoting 45 minute waits, once the first influx of people were seated. in real time, the wait was usually more like 25 minutes. except when it wasn't.

have you never participated in a virtual muster drill? or self assist disembarkation? know anybody who booked a solo balcony cabin? ordered off a tablet in food republic or the indulge food hall? or heard that NCL spent more than two billion dollars in 2023 for new ship construction? or heard that they are installing starlink onboard their entire fleet for more stable internet service? these are all significant changes and i'd be hard pressed to find a cost-cutting motive to any of them.

you've shown an image of the reservation in your cart. are you actually able to checkout? if so, you may indeed be special. also, NCL often does not know how to update its website's functionality. we saw this recently with "reservations" for "footloose." people were able to book it for cruises after the date the show would already have been closed and been removed as an entertainment option. after making the decision to disallow MDR reservations, NCL may not know how to rewrite code to prevent people within a 120 day window from booking them. so we may be in a window during which reservations can seemingly be made. just a hunch.

not "very much," more like "sort of kind of" part of antarctica. this has been discussed many times in this thread, with many examples offered, but i'll try again. suppose you booked a behind the scenes tour to disneyworld and it was promised that you would be taken through epcot, the magic kingdom, the animal kingdom and hollywood studios. the description of the tour said you would see space mountain, the disney princess parade, bug thunder mountain railroad, it's a small world and two fireworks displays. but at the last minute, they said they would be enhancing your experience by curtailing the tour, changing the route and giving you only a glimpse of cinderella's castle. no doubt about it, cinderella's castle is part of disney world. that can not be denied. but would the tour have come close to delivering on its promise of an extensive behind the scenes disneyworld tour? would people who said the tour skipped disneyworld be "incorrect?"

deleted. (I misunderstood a comment)

just you? family? ages and interests? help us help you.

well, there is a bright side here... a canny cruiser can make a boatload of cash if they know what to do. go to every crowded restaurant with a wait, collect a beeper at each. bring the beeper(s) to your stateroom. return to the restaurant at a less busy time and eat. do this over and over every day. collect at least a couple of dozen beepers. keep them as souvenirs. when you return home, sell them to your local chili's and houlihan's. you'll receive a tidy sum which can then help to fund your next adventure at sea. you're welcome.

well, i was on the getaway for ten days and my "standard" internet never surpassed 2.5 mbps. so, i can only assume there was enormous low lying fog and cloud cover the entire ten days and that the ship had great difficulty connecting to an object in space for the entire ten days, as well. people! yes, starlink service can ebb and flow based on atmospheric conditions and other variables. but this isn't about starlink. if it looks like NCL throttling, if it smells like NCL throttling, if it tastes like NCL throttling... there is a very good chance it's NCL throttling!

it's either going to be 88 or 90. it's been 88 for almost every cruise this year. the only reason it might shift is if there is another ship in town, which io don[t think there is tomorrow. have a great cruise!

go to 48th street and twelfth avenue and just walk across the street. there will be porter(s) to take your bags, then head up in the elevator.

some of them, perhaps. but not all. as i said, the sharing of drinks is harder to predict. the OP's plan would certainly be incremental to any known formula or data. . multiply that by the number of unknown others who also hatch new plans. besides, it's moot... NCL doesn't want any sharing (shrinkage) at all. that's their idealistic goal. they won't achieve it, but they are entitled to make calculations or assumptions that do or do not include a shrinkage figure. but in a climate in which they are looking to pinch every penny, one would think they would do whatever they could to thwart cocktail thieves. not a joke. they have the data! a person who drinks five drinks a day is far more valuable than a cruiser who drinks twenty drinks a day, assuming the same level of spend on excursions, dining, spa, casino, etc. also, everyone! stop trying to make this about the bartenders. the bartenders have nothing to do with the OP's illicit intent. nothing.

yes, i myself sailed on the joy in october and things were relatively "normal." but there was a marked contrast, a tipping point, that seems to have taken place since then. the getaway's food was far lower in quality than that experienced a few months earlier on the joy and the buffet was far more carnival-like, than what one would normally be used to on an NCL ship. i stated that it was difficult to know whether the difference was due to a poorly managed ship or a fleet-wide decline in the quality of food. i theorized it was the latter and i[m suggesting now that experiences onboard a few months ago are no longer valid data points, as many have noted a rapid decline in the product on cruises within the last month or so, including me.

oh, gosh, no, it doesn't actually affect the cruise line much more. they have carefully calculated that a certain number of people will always be "super users" whose main goal in life (seemingly) will be to get maximum value out of the drink package and drink eighteen or twenty or thirty drinks a day. just like there are those who pay $69.95 at a buffet in las vegas and only eat salad, while their friend chows down on crab legs, lobster, shrimp and prime rib. if you're a past cruiser, they already have specific data on you personally and know exactly how many drinks you're likely to consume. it enters into the lifetime profit value they place on you and can affect marketing decisions. i may have four drinks a day, somebody else may have ten, somebody else may have six, somebody else may have twenty. the average number of drinks consumed in that micro sample would be ten per person. they have aggregate data per ship, per itinerary, and per month and week. they know how many drinks will likely be consumed on a leisurely october stroll through canada and new england and they know how many drinks are likely to be consumed on a spring break cruise to the caribbean. people giving drinks to others... that's much harder to predict and the prohibition against it rather easy to enforce, should NCL be interested in enforcing it. their ecosystem, however, relies largely on the honor system in this regard and when people play fast and loose with the rules, it upsets the apple cart and does lead to higher costs, which eventually leads to higher prices for those stealing drinks and, sadly, also for those who don't.

yes, it's the cruising equivalent of being told you'll be getting a rolex watch, only to be handed a $149 "rollex" watch, the kind they sell on street corners in manhattan. it's sort of the same thing, but mostly not.

this is a great idea! others have posted that they sometimes drop their luggage and then go and explore manhattan for a few hours before boarding the ship. there is no requirement for passengers to enter the building and checkin once the luggage has been dropped off.

i've done the free tour for elite latitudes members ever since i became eligible for it. it's essentially the same tour on every ship. typically, you'll be going to the laundry, an MDR galley and the backstage area of the main theatre (which often includes the wings, one or more dressing rooms, a costume maintenance area and - sometimes - the stage itself). you'll also typically be taken down the main traffic corridor (affectionately dubbed "I-95"). on the prima, a short visit to the crew bar was added. on the getaway recently, the tour included a visit to two theatres, the main theatre and the illusionarium. the paid tour usually includes a trip to the bridge, which has tremendous appeal for some. i'm fine with the "free" tour; i wouldn't pay $139 for a behind the scenes tour, but i've already seen much of this on other ships. it might be worth it for somebody who hasn't. the only time I would consider the paid tour is if I was traveling with somebody who didn't have status and so couldn't go with me on the free tour. it's been mentioned that certain areas, particularly the galley and especially the laundry, can be really loud, which may affect your ability to hear what's being said. also, not all the tour guides (who are almost always cruise next consultants) and their designated speakers in each area are good public speakers and know how to address a crowd and keep them interested and motivated. so, yeah, there is that.

well, they wouldn't be "sneaking" it; they'd be taking it onboard in their carry on luggage. prepackaged meat and cheese is absolutely allowed (assuming a USA departure port), but that's more like vacuum-sealed charcuterie-type products and not deli meats with cellophane wrap over a styrofoam base. that being said, i'm in the camp that all concerned would be better off with buffet food or observation lounge snacks. or just a cocktail or two on the balcony, followed by a meal in any restaurant. it's just easier all around, but, yes, you can bring prepackaged and factory-sealed food onboard.

those new friends you're chatting with at the bar? it's not your job to ask or find out what the status of their drink package is. that's the bartender's job, and if they're already at the bar and sitting down, there is an extraordinarily good chance that the bartender already has swiped them at least once and knows exactly what their status is. he may even have their card "on file" behind the bar. NCL gives the bartender the authority to decide how and when and to whom they can dispense drinks. it doesn't give that authority to its guests. as for keyboard warriors, some principles are worth fighting for. and nobody is getting into anybody's business when they're ordering drinks at a bar! what most people are doing here is replying to a person who has said something on the order of "hey, theres no problem if i order multiple drinks, but some of those drinks aren't for me, right? i mean, my friend has a soda package but might want a glass of wine or a mocktail now and again... it's OK if i get it for him, right? no harm, no foul? i mean, i'll make it seem like it's for me, but it's really for my friend. i know it's against the rules, but I can do this with no problem, right? no judgment... just answer my question!" people have responded to that scenario, pro and con... and everything in between. and offered up lots of judgment because many feel there is a moral question here and many believe that the OP's actions ultimately lead to higher prices for them. but nobody is getting into anybody's business or issues other than that which the OP asked them to address.

my goodness, that's not at all what the OP asked. that's how you've chosen to interpret it to support your view and your value system. i don't think the words "bartender" and "discretion" appear anywhere in the OP's initial post. i'm not even sure he mentions the word "discretion" anywhere in the thread. the protagonists in the initial post are the OP and his confederate (a.k.a. "Adult 2") who set forth their conspiracy to misappropriate drinks and transfer them to a third (unauthorized) person in violation of NCL policies.

as a data point i can confirm that a frontline call center worker in manila will earn a monthly salary between $400 and $600. that's at most about $7000 a year. somewhat less in more rural communities, and those are exceptionally good entry level non-management jobs through which somebody could support their family, including their parents, who often get health care subsidized by payroll deductions of their offspring. but anybody trying to suggest that their NCL salary should be considered "peanuts" (presumably by american standards) is playing fast and loose with the facts. you can't create a false equivalence. they are not american workers and don't have american cars or american rents or american tax obligations. no american worker would be happy earning those salaries, but workers from other countries are overjoyed. labor is in fact the largest export of the philippines and the money they send home makes up 12 - 15% of the nation's GDP. by all means, tip large and tip often. they deserve every peso (pronounced "peh-so"). but don't cry for me, filipino... the truth is they are thrilled to have those jobs. as are the indians, indonesians, malaysians, chinese and vietnamese. and the jobs pay very well compared to what they would earn in their home countries.

well, you can certainly do that. luggage would complicate it for sure. i'm sure you're aware that the train doesn't actually go all the way to JFK? (it's one of the world's least efficient airport transportation systems!) it's a free shuttle to the subway and then straight into manhattan. you'll want the A or the E and you'll want to get off at 42nd street. but you'll want to be at the back of the train, because your preferred exit will be 44th and 8th avenue. either way, it's a tradeoff. if it were up to me, i'd do the trip together, take a car service or cab ($70 flat fee + tolls and tip from JFK). you can deduct your solo subway fare of $8.25 off the top! get to the airport and the ship earlier and enjoy more time together. when you compare it to the cost of the entire trip, it's a very small fraction of your total expense... probably just over $100,

yes. it's true they don't really check arrival times at the terminal (*sigh*), but you'll be fine as long as you're close to your check-in time. for what you plan to do, you'll probably want to drop your wife off as early as possible. alternatively, you could just drive to JFK with her and then take a cab or car service to the terminal. you're going to have to pay for that ride anyway, so it's just a choice. if you do it early enough, it won't really affect you or your wife getting onboard and enjoying all the ship has to offer. and if there's any waiting, you'll be doing it togetehr. but in answer to your question, yes, two people traveling together can check in independently. they will tell you that you can't, but you can. i did a back to back a couple of years ago out of new york. i did a 5 night solo. and then my traveling companion boarded in new york for the second leg, a ten day itinerary. i stayed on board. she checked in amidst repeated questions about where i was, when was i coming, how come i wasn't with her... and she kept telling them i was already onboard. eventually, somebody listened. although we may have had to get the haven concierge involved. remember that the "NCL" team members who work at the manhattan cruise terminal are contract employees who don't have a lot of knowledge of NCL's systems or policies. so it may be a struggle. the more i think about it, the more you may want to do this together and take a taxi together from the airport. that would be my recommendation, but it does sound like you're committed to the other way. so, the short answer is yes, you can do this. but you'll have to be really explicit about what is happening as each party checks in.

⬆️ what he said! ⬆️ the whole thing. i don't agree with everything, but i agree with most of it. seriously, you could not hope for a more reasoned, well thought out, objective critique. oh, no! funny you should mention this. what hell hath i wrought? i may have been wrong! i almost assuredly was wrong. that advice was so 2022! mea culpa. mea maxima culpa. i've gone 180 degrees the other way. i stay away from the buffet now as much as i can! the prima last may and june... tiny! it was poorly designed and nearly impossible to get a seat. and very limited selections. the joy last october... crowded, with a noticeable decline in food quality. the getaway two weeks ago... further declines... very poor quality and selection and they only carried veggie indian food (which i like) but only two dishes (other than rice and papadum). so i can no longer depend on the shining star of any NCL buffet - the indian food! i will say that the buffet pizza on the getaway was outstanding... if you timed it just right to get a slice or two of a hot fresh pie as it was being put out. ("bless my eyes! fresh supplies!") the other big reason i avoid the buffet now is the decline in the behavior of many of my fellow passengers. ain't nobody got no class no more. it's not just that they are rude and they have no control over their children, but they (and their children) don't understand basic hygiene or etiquette rules. or they choose to ignore them because they can do whatever they want... it;'s their vacation! they eat with their hands while they collect their food, they drop ladles and tongs on the floor and put them back in the food, they refill their beverage containers directly from the dispensers, they pick up food with their hands, then return it to the serving station, they reuse plates and they cough and sneeze without covering their mouths, among other transgressions. them's fightin' words. i generally agree. and i would never think of ordering an app, a salad, an entree and a dessert without a package. i do think there is at least one exception to not paying a la carte. i will sometimes go into la cucina and order a pizza. it's pretty damn good. and only costs between $19 - $24, plus gratuities. and typically, i'm paying with OBC, so it's not a big cash outlay. hey, now! you're not wrong. but what people forget about NCL specialty restaurants is that they are not managed well from a "franchise" perspective. even though there is a manual and a playbook and similar decor and the same logo, even though they have the same recipes and pictures of the way the food is supposed to look and the chefs have been (presumably) trained on how the food should taste... the quality, appearance and taste varies wildly from ship to ship and night to night. on some ships, cagney's is superb. on others, it sucks out loud in technicolor. specialty dining is a greater gamble than the casino. maybe that's why i spend more time in the casino than in specialty restaurants!

funny. i'm a diet coke guy and, as i'm sure you know, passions run deep on both sides of the aisle. i won't drink coke zero. i do prefer coke products, and was overjoyed when NCL switched teams, but i just say no to coke zero. here's the thing. i don't really drink much diet coke, either, anymore. i used to drink a lot, much like you, my blood was probably 50% diet coke. and the caffeine kept me up at night. then i quit cold turkey. and the caffeine withdrawal was unbearable... like i was a heroin addict. i was in severe pain for four days. so, now, i limit myself to one diet coke in the morning, if that. and i bounce out of bed in the morning with no headache whatsoever. works for me. so, back to sprite zero on NCL ships. i choose sprite zero because it has no caffeine. zero sugar, zero caffeine, zero calories. but, invariably, when i order sprite zero and they're out of it... they bring me a coke zero. "oh, he's one of those 'zero' people... i'm sure he'd like this instead" they must be thinking. nope. the two products have almost nothing in common. if i ordered a pu pu platter and they were out of it, would they bring me a copy of "winnie the pooh?" most servers don't understand that coke zero has caffeine and most servers don't think there is a difference between coke zero and diet coke.

well, it isn't just lower quality; it's also fewer choices. at the buffet for instance, there used to be a wide array of dishes, many of them repeated on two side of the buffet. now, invariably, you get far fewer dishes and they are repeated as many as four or five times throughout the buffet. there are slimmed down menus and choices in some of the restaurants and lots of tinkering to the late night menus and the availability of items and the opening hours in the local and o'sheehan's. you'll be fine. with a thermal spa pass and/or a vibe pass, you will have insulated yourself from most of the noise and challenges associated with the rest of the ship and you'll always have a place to go for a respite. here again, it's not just the alcoholic drinks. last week on the getaway... by day 7 of a 10 day cruise, many bars and restaurants were telling me that they had no sprite zero. and the casino bar (at which i get free bottled water and "ultra" drinks) didn't stock pellegrino or aqua panna. mind you, they weren't out of it... they just no longer carried it. again, the vibe to the rescue. much like the haven, after the first day, they'll make sure they have a supply of whatever you and yours drink most often.