UKstages

don't applaud too loudly about starlink. it may be more stable and reliable, but NCL throttles the speed to a ridiculous degree. on my recent getaway journey, average speeds on the standard plan were 2.0 mbps down. as for stability... there were periods overnight when the internet connection would drop frequently... sometimes for as long as an hour. 1 am, 2 am... 4 am, etc. i suspect that starlink is providing major advantages for behind the scenes operations and crew members' business use of the internet, but there is virtually no difference from this passenger's perspective.

generally held principles of customer service would argue that they may not be entitled to compensation, but they are entitled to an explanation. and generally held principles of customer service would argue that they should receive both.

well,. if you're going to quote, you should perhaps quote "their exact words." in the very next sentence the OP says... "i know that NCL's policy is that packages are not to be shared, but what i really want to know is if that rule is REALLY enforced onboard somehow. in other words, could the two guests with FAS be in some trouble if we get a mocktail or glass of wine for that third guest?" the intent is absolutely to deceive. the bartender doesn't know the drink is for somebody without a corresponding drink package until after the drink is delivered. the bartender's "discretion" is limited to what to do after he finds out... does he take the drink back, charge for it and risk a guest confrontation? also, and this is key, the OP indicates their intent and full knowledge that what they propose to do is wrong and against NCL's policy. the OP also indicates that they know there may be some sort of consequences for their actions. complete and calculated deception.

i've only just recently learned what the contemporary cruiser wants. homey ain't got no time to keep up with the thrifty cruiser.

it's been said many times, many ways throughout this discussion... NCL apparently gives their bartenders discretion, yes. but they do not give their bartenders discretion to deceive on the part of their guests. if the OP says "hey, i want to get two drinks, one for me and one for my friend." and the bartender chooses to fulfill that order, there is no problem whatsoever. but that's not what would be happening here. the OP intends to deceive and make it appear as if the drinks are for one person, the cardholder. maybe? no, in fact, they don't. it's been confirmed for us several times within this thread by EU residents. sharing is not permitted.

probably best if you consult an ethicist... or a member of the cloth. you keep trying to rationalize your behavior by "the end result," or by how much product is poured or consumed when all is said and done. you somehow erroneously believe that there will have been "no harm, no foul" if - regardless of who drinks what or who orders what - the same number or dollar value of beverages is consumed. but that's not the way NCL's beverage packages are sold and that's not the way they work. it is of paramount concern to NCL who does the ordering and who does the drinking. if they can't have some reasonable semblance of control over how their product is purchased and consumed, their entire ecosystem tumbles. and prices, inevitably, will rise. so, you're not just stealing from NCL, you're stealing from all of us. their ship, their rules. you're like a kid who doesn't do his homework and then tries to convince a bunch of other kids in the schoolyard that it's OK. the only thing that matters in that scenario is what the teacher says. here, the "teacher" is NCL. will they send you to detention or give you a gold star? it's anybody's guess. but everybody - including you - agrees that you should have done your darn homework. nobody - including you - is disputing that what you intend to do is against NCL's policy and the terms you agree to when you agree to sail. everything else is ... noise. do NCL's rules for the EU allow sharing of drink packages? if not, then this rationale has no merit, regardless of what a purchaser believes is "baked into" the price. you contributed to it with a "different" scenario seven hours ago.

technically, a "reuben" made with pastrami is a "rachel." (nothing to do with jennifer ansiton or "friends.") putting issues of taste and preference aside, a "reuben" sandwich should never be made with pastrami. then again, NCL likes to put lettuce on their lox and bagel in the MDR and they serve a "chili" on the new american diner menu that is actually a tortilla soup, so pretty much anything is fair game with NCL these days, as long as it doesn't involve shredded and fried potatoes.

no, just no. it might be what you are talking about, but it's not what the OP is talking about. from the OP's initial post: "if the three of us are sitting together at any bar will the ones with FAS be able to order a second drink to hand it over to that third guest? i know that NCL's policy is that packages are not to be shared, but what I really want to know is if that rule is REALLY enforced onboard somehow." not only does the OP not indicate that they plan to disclose to the bartender what the scheme is (and its clear from subsequent posts that that is not the plan), but the OP specifically demonstrates knowledge that the practice is forbidden. respectfully, you've created an imaginary scenario in which the OP fully discloses the intent to the bartender. and the OP has never said that. could not possible agree more. that's why i've said it repeatedly, too!

yeah, there's a whole heck of a lot of that going around the forum lately. please understand that i don't work for you and it's not my job to prove anything or set about to do research to refute this point or that. my "job" (such as it is) is to express my viewpoint, using my words and my ideas, which i have done. i will tell you that someone's intent is indeed key in determining whether or not they committed a crime. it's a foundation principle of criminal law. in your example with your daughter's sip of your soda, there would have been absolutely no intent to defraud. so you can sleep easily tonight! not so, with the OP's scheme to provide drinks to somebody who didn't pay for a corresponding drink package. respectfully, you're getting hung up on "breach of contract" when the intent to defraud is as plain as day. whatever breach of contract may or may not take place, it matters little since it will have been a means to an end. the end being the theft of NCL's product and its transfer to unauthorized individuals. that is the sole reason the OP would have presumably violated the contractual agreement with NCL. i wholeheartedly agree! in fact, i explained this upthread. in this example, NCL - through its agent, the bartender - has decided to grant you the privilege of getting an extra drink to share. NCL is absolutely entitled to do that! for whatever reason it wants! it could be your birthday, it could be your winning smile, the cut of your jib, or - more likely - it's just more efficient for the bartender to do that then to ring up a separate transaction. we're in complete agreement here. i have no problem with this scenario. NCL can at its discretion bend its own rules as it sees fit. its guests can not. the scenario the OP has described is something very different. the OP doesn't intend to ask for a drink for his friend. the OP intends to ask for two drinks for himself, concealing the fact that the second drink will be shared with somebody not on a corresponding drink package. that's a big difference. and that is not allowed. if the OP said he intended to ask the bartender for an extra drink for his friend, this thread would be a heck of a lot shorter. nobody would likely have a concern about that! no, they can't kick you off the ship. contract law has nothing to with it! they can't kick you off the ship because the guest would have done absolutely nothing wrong! NCL could conceivably have a case to bring disciplinary action against the bartender in accordance with whatever workplace policies it has in place. the person who would have violated NCL policies would have been the bartender under this scenario, not the guest!

i use the aforementioned international "day pass " from verizon at $10. i don't see it mentioned here, so i'll mention it... while the data is technically unlimited, you do get throttled from 5G service down to 3G after the first 2GB of data. i assume that AT&T and the others have similar restrictions. and 5G may not even be available at all depending on the city or country you're visiting. (that's true of parts of the USA, too.) using your phone on the ship while in port can be a challenge. first off, there a re a lot of metal walls and obstructions that may prevent the signal from reaching your mobile. second, you'll have to choose between wifi and cellular service. the NCL app won't work for shipboard services while you're connected to the cell network.

as well they should. but that's not what's been described here. and they do. and the type of sharing proposed in this thread is expressly forbidden (not by major league baseball, but by NCL). greater legal minds could certainly disagree... but it's quite clear that what the OP will have paid for is a product to be consumed exclusively by the OP and the purchase of that product is contingent upon terms that prohibit sharing of that very product. so to say that you would be "sharing something you paid for" is a bit disingenuous at best. as for whether it's a contract violation or outright theft... again, reasonable minds can disagree. to a layman, it's most certainly theft. NCL offers a product or service for the exclusive use of the OP. the OP chooses to violate the contract solely for the purpose of providing that good or service to another not entitled to it. is it a simple contract violation? or a carefully organized scheme to defraud and steal during which the OP just happens to violate the contract along the way? in any case, i do hope the OP returns to cruise critic after the sailing to gloat or to report on the conditions within the UK prison system. or perhaps just to visit with all the friends made on this thread and reminisce about all the fun we've had these past couple of days.

really? wow. they had free cookies, but charged for their other desserts? you sure the cookies weren't in that standard indulge dessert corral? the one with the annoying acrylic doors that you have to open to reach awkwardly placed dessert items?

ah, well, that makes sense... coco's, for the uninitiated, has pay for play desserts. they are not "free" options in the indulge food court.

properly seasoning food and making it spicy are two very different things. a case could be made (not by me) for making sure food is not too spicy. there is no excuse for not seasoning food. of the one or two good MDR meals i had recently on the getaway, a standout was the chinese BBQ pork "stir fry" (at least they called it stir fry, but i'm sure it wasn't. it was delicious,. aggressively spiced, with all the right flavor profiles.

i don't have time to go through all nine pages of this, but i'm sure i probably contributed pithy words of wisdom when the thread originally bared its ugly head a year or more ago. i just stopped by this time to quickly remind folks that "butler tipping," while not nearly as popular as "cow tipping" is a time-honored tradition and an acceptable prank if you're looking for something fun to do on a sea day. it's gaining traction globally, even though most butlers do not like it, particularly those with vertigo. be kind to your butler... only tip him or her when they can see you approaching, never from behind. and, if possible, make sure there is a pillow or cushion on which they can fall. also pay no attention to the methods used or the frequency with which others tip their butlers; it has no relevance to how or how often you tip your own butler.

who was joking? the person originally telling the tale or the poster recounting thatv tale on cruise critic? as for the addition and expansion of smoking areas, it is puzzling and troubling. thats a lot of effort to go through to please 8% - 12% of your customers.

not sure. can you think of any posters here on cruise critic that are likely to be able to provide an answer based on their personal experience?

they have an "overnight" and late night menu. typically includes a reuben, a burger, a hot dog, a caesar and/or cobb salad, fish 'n' chips, nachos, chicken wings, pretzel bites, brownie cheesecake and carrot cake. it's not the full menu. they do close for deep cleaning for an hour or a half hour just before breakfast service begins, but they are otherwise open for what passes as "24/7." except when they're not. increasingly, ships and chefs and cleaning crews are making their own rules. in addition to the example cited above, on the getaway recently, i went to osheehan's at 3 AM and was told the chef had only pre-prepared three dishes at that time... hot dog, burger and a reuben. nothing else was available, except for dessert. no explanation given. full room service menu is available overnight and i'd recommend it for hearty appetites. service fee applies in most cases.

yeah, i'd actually recommend not wearing white. there's a reason they no longer call it "the white party." nobody will say anything if you do, you can wear whatever you like, but, again, there's a very specific reason they no longer call this "the white party."

a "whale" more specifically is one who bets extraordinary sums, the highest of the high rollers. typically, this is somebody who is betting 5K or 250K a hand at blackjack. comps are always commensurate with play - and sometimes loss - and will vary greatly, even among whales. somebody who is betting 5K a hand consistently might be given a suite, as well as helicopter transportation from the airport. somebody who is betting 250K a hand would likely be given an entire floor of the hotel, private jet transfer and a lexus as a christmas gift. lesser players get coffee makers and toaster ovens. the term "whale" came about because, well, their behavior and their play is immense, much larger than the average bear... it is HUGE, much like, well, a whale.

friends don't let friends drop 82K on a piece of "art" valued at probably less than 10K. even after peter max dies, this stuff will have very little value. i am as flabbergasted as you were. gobsmacked. but, yeah, i would have done the same thing as you. congratulate them on the purchase. not my bidness to try to talk them out of it and it might in fact be a pittance for them. i'd feel bad if it was their life's savings, though. pro tip: even when the casino is closed, the bill breakers/ATMs are connected and fully operational. if it was an older bill, with a really big tear, you may have had a problem with the machine, too, but, in general, these machines work really well for getting $5 and $1 bills. it's a multi step process, though. you'll get five twenties for your hundy. then you have to individually insert each twenty to get five fives. and so on. beats a long line at guest services, though. i would say cynically, but most likely, because our intrepid reporter never signed a waiver. they were terrified of being sued. the repeated attempts for them to find an alternate cause of the accident and their repeated failure to get him to sign a waiver frustrated them, i can assure you.

be aware that the order in which the visited sites are listed may not be the order in which you actually visit them, so your master plan may be thwarted. there could be a number of reasons why they go in a different order or skip a stop, including traffic, parades, civil unrest... most commonly, if the tour is popular and has several tour busses, some busses will go one direction, while the others will go the opposite way. they do this to avoid congestion at popular tourist sites. instead of twelve busses descending upon a cave or a museum, there will be six. and then another six later in the day. so some people might get to that beach early in the morning, others later in the day. so, yes, no problem with leaving a tour provided you tell the guide, but you can't be 100% certain that the sites will be visited in the order you think they will be or the order that was promised in the promotional blurb.

recession, reschmession. there is no recession in sight. the economy is strong. this will only change when people vote with their wallets and say "no mas." they've had enough... the product no longer resembles anything like what it once was. when they decide to stay home with a good book, some take out Chinese food and a pint of ice cream. as long as we continue to travel with after these cuts have been made, we are giving NCL (and other cruise lines) permission to continue to make cuts and destroy the product.

yes, fairly typical. although my experience has been that the vibe is open, if you have access. the observation lounge should be open. and then taste and/or savor should open around 11:30, along with the buffet and the indulge food hall. all the waterfront seating should be available.

my experience in new york recently was not that they called too many groups too soon, but that seemingly two thirds of the ship are now self-assist… the first group called. that is to say, the self assist disembarkation category has become outrageously popular and no longer really provides an advantage to those looking to get off the ship early and easily. new york also uses facial recognition, but we were incredibly backed up, too.