UKstages

one would think! thanks. i probably need to request more play-based offers and - for those - there are probably fewer restrictions. it'll be interesting to see if my offers improve with a higher status. one thing this cruise has proved to me is that i will try very hard never to sail on a ship without a nonsmoking casino. it is extraordinarily unpleasant in there. even the staff is complaining. as always, the problem is that people use the casino as a smoking lounge. groups of people will sit at machines, not playing, chatting for hours and just smoking. they also vape and smoke in the small nonsmoking section that they have, which is very discreet... just a minuscule sign on the wall and a small notice on the screen that has your player data. the ship, as many do, has a smoking problem. smoking on balconies, vaping throughout the ship, and smoking of marijuana in a surprising number of outdoor venues. i did go to check out spice H2O when i thought i wouldn't score a vibe pass and it hits you the moment you walk in... cigarettes and pot,. and the smell is throughout the entire vibe, even though smoking is only allowed near the bar. the good news is the hosts say that when the getaway is next in dry dock, they are planning to retrofit the casino with a glass wall, and partition it into a smoking and nonsmoking casino. i mean, c'mon, it's 2024 and only 12% of their customers smoke! it's ridiculous that the entire place stinks... you can smell it quite far away. i pity the poor folks who get seated in the "patio" at le bistro and have to breathe that in while they eat. it's also in some of the shops on 8 surrounding the chandelier and the staircase. thanks to @cygnets upthread for reminding me the spirit actually is nonsmoking now. it makes me want to reconsider that ship. i've also heard very good things about the spirit from a couple i met onboard on this cruise. yes, indeed. that was not the last time somebody tried to talk me out of something on this ship. they are constantly trying to do that... seems to be a management style onboard the getaway: "you don't know what you want... we do." you go to taste or savor and they tell you there is a 45 minute wait and suggest you go to the buffet. i don't want to go to the buffet. i've been to the buffet, i know the buffet, the buffet is a friend of mine, and this buffet, senator, is no buffet. (with apologies to lloyd bentsen). also, most of us are on to the trick... the "under promise, over deliver" strategy of surprise and delight. when they say 45 minutes, it really is usually only fifteen or twenty. at the casino bar: "oh, sir, we don't have pellegrino. we offer instead a carton of water. same same." well, actually, no, it's not the same. i wanted sparkling water. i'm enjoying the cruise very much, but things are a bit off on this ship... nothing major, but cumulatively, they all add up to a rather lackluster experience. not NCL's best ship or at least not the best ship i've been on... for me, that's been the joy. and even worse is the behavior of some of the passengers. i will probably come back to update the thread when the cruise is over with more getaway observations.

yes, indeed, as noted in post #6. in brief, yes. but it was a bit of a comedy of errors. or a tragedy of errors, more accurately. as a sapphire, i boarded in new york at about 11:20 am. i got a big kick out of the clueless contract employee at the MCT who told those waiting in the diamond and sapphire area to be patient... that we'd be next, right after he lets the platinum folks on. needless to say there was practically an uprising; the sapphires were ready to storm the bastille. one of his colleagues schooled him and let him know it was the other way around. once onboard, i went straight to teppanyaki and headliners, as one does when one wants to purchase vibe passes. there was no vibe table set up. i asked a couple of people where they were selling vibe passes. neither of them knew what the vibe was. i went to guest services, where i asked a woman holding a directional sign sending people to "restaurant reservations." she also said she didn't know what the vibe was, but she put her sign down and said she would find out. she came back and said, yes, it's at guest services. "wait in this line and you can purchase one." so, i wait fifteen minutes or so to get to the head of the line and the rep says, "oh, sorry, sir, the vibe is all sold out for this cruise." to which i say, "are you sure? because up until a couple of days ago, when the cruise was closed for online sales, there were still passes available. and the NCL internal knowledge base says that you hold a small number of passes for sale on embarkation day. i was here at 11:20... how could the vibe be sold out?" he said he would check. he goes in the back, to that mysterious place where a team of supervisors and managers hold court and issue approvals and denials for all manner of customer requests. he comes back and says, "yes, i am so sorry, sir, the vibe is completely sold out for this sailing." and then he leans in and says sotto voce, "sir, trust me, you don't really want the vibe. you will be much happier in spice H2O. it is the same as the vibe and it is complimentary." my first thought about this was: damn! there is no barrier to the bird's influence ... the bird has corrupted and trained NCL employees to see no value in the vibe! i explained it wasn't the same and that i wanted the vibe because there were no kids, no crowds, no noise and no smoking. i wrote a quick note to the GM and dropped it in the "dear mario" box. maybe he can help me get a vibe pass! that first night in the casino, an executive host recognized me from having sailed with her on the prima last may. she asked if i needed anything or if she could do anything for me. i said, "well, actually, yes, i'm being told the vibe is sold out. can you get me in?" she said she would try. now, typically, the hosts in the casino have no real power beyond getting restaurant reservations or comping a meal or sending a cheese plate or whatnot to your cabin. so, i had no realistic expectation that she would be successful. but she was! about an hour later she came back with the name of a guest services supervisor i was to talk to the next morning. he would sell me a vibe pass and a comment had been made on my account so anybody at guest services would be able to help me. the next morning i headed to guest services and a different rep told me that the vibe was sold out. i asked her to look at the note on my account and call the GS supervisor. she did and she did. he arrived and also tried to talk me out of the vibe! "sir, the weather is so bad, i don't really think you will enjoy it. I hate to see you waste your money. have you considered that spice H2O has everything the vibe has at no charge?" the bird! he reluctantly sells me the pass, when i explain i'm using OBC and he says something about wishing he was living my life. this is day 2 of the cruise and there is just one problem... the vibe is closed because of the weather. heavy rains and winds, which caused the cancellation of the port call to bermuda (as predicted). and it's closed the next day, as well. on day 4, a sea day, it's finally open. and my key card worked and all was good. except the weather wasn't very good... low 60s, a heavy mist and wind, followed by a torrential rain that effectively closed the vibe again around 3 or 4 PM. today, day 5, was lovely. i spent most of the day in the vibe, as we were in port in saint maarten. here's where things get interesting: i never heard from the GM. and i asked one of the bartenders what the count was... how many people had vibe access on this sailing. he said they were at 127 out of a capacity of 267. so, the vibe wasn't sold out! even if you add me as the 128th person, the vibe was only at about 50% capacity. i think they stopped offering the vibe to anyone who hadn't pre-purchased simply because they knew the weather would be bad and they didn't want to deal with complaints and requests for refunds. that's my story and i'm stickin' to it. yes, of course. typically, the CAS offers have more narrow booking windows and don't allow booking a year in advance. six months, perhaps, but rarely a year. and these were the last NZ and australian cruises of the season. i might try again next month for the same dates... it's possible there may have been some cancellations.

thanks. i typically use OBC for the vibe, so i can't purchase in advance. i am one of those who does a mad scramble when embarkation begins. i'm sapphire, so i can usually get on right after haven. i live a short distance from the manhattan cruise terminal, have an early check in time, and will walk to the pier. so, i should be fine. as of a few days ago, the vibe was still available online (not sold out), which i found interesting. it's a port intensive cruise, but i still figured it would be sold out since it's a caribbean itinerary.

and that’s how I would up on a ten-day cruise on the getaway embarking tomorrow. it’s to the caribbean, to ports I’ve been to many times, including many i just visited on the joy three months ago. but it’s in a club balcony (which must have been a proactive BOP upgrade on the part of the rep, since my offer was technically only for a balcony). i hear australia, new zealand, tahiti, hawaii and the panama canal are lovely this time of year. but I’ll be going to bermuda (weather permitting), st. thomas, st maarten, san juan and puerto plata. (well, heck, I suppose all those ports are weather permitting, but bermuda is especially prone to cancellation right now.) you can’t always get what you want. but if you try sometimes, you just might find that you get what you need.

then I turned my attention to a 15-day panama canal cruise on the bliss… miami to LA (san pedro) or LA to miami… whichever i could get on. i had been on the bliss before, in its debut year, and i enjoyed it. this time i reached out to another CAS cruise consultant with whom I had developed some rapport. i explained that my offer was for a 12-day cruise, this was a 15-day cruise, and so i asked her to please see what she could do with a BOP offer. (BOP is NCL jargon for a play-based offer… “based on play.") she placed something on hold and when i looked at the reservation, i was shocked at the price. now, normally, I can do a ten or twelve-day cruise for about $700 per person, including FAS gratuities, port fees and taxes, plus the absurd CAS admin fee of $20 a day. (that’s what the typical “free” cruise costs. ) i usually have a cruise first $500 certificate or two banked in my account, making my immediate out of pocket cost a little more than $200 as a solo traveler. the quote for the panama canal cruise was nearly $2500. now, to be fair, port fees and taxes on that itinerary are quite high… but not two grand high! for the three days that weren’t covered by my CAS offer i would be charged nearly two thousand dollars. i simply couldn’t justify that, especially since they were willing to give me twenty-four days (on the B2B) for “free.” made absolutely no sense that I could get twenty-four days - or even thirty-six days on a B2B2B - comped, but a fifteen-day cruise would cost me $2500.

then I got the rather clever idea that I would just stay on the ship… do a back to back. I love B2Bs. I would continue on to honolulu on the same ship! it would be a great opportunity to visit several hawaiian islands. hawaii is normally not on the table for CAS customers, since the pride of america doesn’t have a casino. the spirit would be traveling internationally, though, and therefore has a casino, and thus able to provide access for CAS guests to four hawaiian islands. perfect! sadly, once again, there were no decent rooms left on either of these cruises and i wasn’t about to spend 24 days onboard under the fitness center or adjacent to the smoking area. so I abandoned my plans for new zealand, australia, the south pacific and hawaii.

it was at this point that I got an email from united airlines. flights booked to australia and new zealand using miles were on sale! I could fly into auckland and out of sydney and save 30,000 miles! outstanding! my agent came back with a new cabin assignment. he put me in a room directly below the fitness center. i explained that wouldn’t work, either, as i’d hear thumpity thump thump at 6 am, but also 11 pm and 2 am, since they let the entertainers onboard use the gym overnight. then he put me under the pool and then under the buffet and on and on in an endless number of unsuitable rooms. there wasn’t a single balcony room available with rooms above and below. this was well after final payment, but still 90 days out. i even tried the next cruise from sydney to papeete, tahiti, but there was a problem…. papeete only has air lift on certain days of the week. the cruise was disembarking on a wednesday, i believe, and i couldn’t fly home until thursday or friday. and resort hotel rooms were going for astronomical prices, if they even let you book just one or two nights.

i emailed a CAS rep with whom I had worked in the past, but with whom i didn’t really have an ongoing relationship. i had called CAS a few days earlier to find out what my current offers were and just by random chance, i got him when calling the general CAS line. (that’s the thing about CAS that is so frustrating… you never know what your offers are unless you call. they will send an email or a snail mail flyer saying you have a “free” room, but they never tell you what level of accommodation you’re rated for, unless you call. every other cruise line not only tells you what your specific offer is, but many of them allow you to book it online, play with dates and choose rooms… but not CAS! during the post-covid restart, i apparently had lots of comped haven offers in my account, but most of them went unused, since i didn’t know until a CAS agent told me.) anyway, i figured i would let this guy book me since i had just spoken to him. I emailed him and told him the cruise i wanted and he placed the cruise on hold. when I went online to look, he had booked me in a room adjacent to the port forward smoking section. other than the casino, that’s pretty much the only place to smoke on the ship. i knew that wasn’t going to work. i can smell people smoking on a balcony two hundred feet away from my balcony… i was pretty sure i’d be miserable being next to the smoking area. i asked for a cabin change.

this tale may be of more interest to those who regularly book through casinos at sea, NCL’s casino loyalty program which rewards players with discount or “free” cruises. but the struggle to find a suitable room onboard your chosen vessel is universal. so, who knows? others may enjoy this. then again, for those who don’t travel on comped cruises, you might walk away from this not quite understanding what the problem was… in fact, you’ll probably think I passed up a heckuva deal. last december, i had an offer for a “free” 12-night casinos at sea cruise, so i decided to branch out from my usual caribbean and european itineraries and book something a little more exotic. the offer was to have expired on december 15, 2023, with a sail by date of november 3, 2024. that’s unusual… normally CAS booking windows are much shorter. i chose a 12-day new zealand/australia itinerary in march of 2024. i am only a few points away from qualifying for the “elite” casino tier that carries substantial additional benefits, including 1K OBC on each cruise and free unlimited wifi. the annual earning period ends on march 31st, so i was trying to squeeze in another cruise before then. this cruise is on the spirit, which i believe may be NCL’s oldest and smallest ship. i do prefer a larger ship, but i’m not much for water slides and rock climbing and such and the smaller ships can be refreshing. i had a great time in the haven on the gem a year or two ago and figured the spirit would provide a similar experience, even though i would be in a balcony. still, the spirit was a bit of a compromise for me, since i had promised myself that i would only sail the newer, larger ships because they all have nonsmoking casinos. (but the only ship they are running on this itinerary at the moment is the spirit. so, this was to be the eternal classic battle of the itinerary versus the ship.)

i always appreciated that mummy did that for me. you make it sound like it's a bad thing. anyway, i didn't realize others were looking at us. but, yes, the butler would always cut my food for me. i was only 7, however.

i'm not happy unless my haven butler cuts my steak for me. small pieces. and then i very much enjoy when he or she feeds me, preferably while making airplane noises, while bringing each bite to my mouth in a circular motion. and i do love it so when peter max draws my bath. literally. i must have six or seven of his bath paintings. it's nice because my haven butler brings them to me and i don't have to deal with park west.

"the price is right" rehearsed in florida. just sayin'. don't get your hopes up. if there were a mainstream broadway musical in the works, there would have been a press release prior to the start of rehearsals. if these new "shows" are something other than elaborately produced game shows, expect an in-house production with singing and dancing, maybe a violinist or an acrobat and more solo singing spots. at the top end of this is something fully produced like "elements." at the bottom end of this is something like a "broadway cabaret." at the rock bottom end of this would be a variety show featuring a singer, a comic and a juggler... an open end format that would allow them to job in solo acts and slot them in for individual cruises. remember, if they produce their own shows with large casts (like "elements"), they're only saving royalty fees for the rights holders ("footloose," "six," "jersey boys," etc.) if they downscale the productions (game shows, solo variety acts), they save on talent costs, too.

if it's a BIG announcement it can only be one thing... hash browns are back, baby! (either that, or NCL is renewing its commitment to the contemporary cruiser.)

but you saved between $700 and $800, which would have been the rate for two nights in a hotel in midtown!

scooty of unknown size, did you research NCL's policy about drones, other than asking a bunch of anonymous strangers on this forum what they thought? and rejecting NCL's own advice after you called? NCL prohibits drones. nothing much else matters. it's all noise. have some people brought drones onboard? yup. sure looks like they have. but that doesn't change pone simple fact: NCL prohibits drones. this reminds me of the folks who try to take marijuana onboard because it is "legal" in their home state or the port of embarkation. and their friends say they did and it was cool. or the folks who insist on vaping throughout the ship, even though its prohibited except where smoking is permitted... because, they say, they're not bothering anybody.

who knew that cheech and chong enjoyed cruising? (i guess they are in the correct age demographic.) i do wonder if there were any "contemporary cruisers" onboard.

it depends; what type of cabin is that for $699? i can safely say that it is an outstanding price for a haven cabin! i would book at once.

if the weather is bad, that is to say, something that would make the pool deck close, such as high winds or storms... the vibe would be closed. if it's just cold out, the vibe would most likely be open. if there is a slight mist in the air or a gentle rain, the vibe will most likely be open. reports on another thread have indicated that the vibe provides hot chocolate and blankets while traveling through alaska.

"LATREW" indicates that you'll be getting your tier associated latitudes benefits.

as many denizens of the forum know, i am a hell's kitchen resident, with an apartment located between the broadway theatre district and the manhattan cruise terminal. i share your opinion, with one minor caveat: if you happen to be on one of those rare itineraries that has an overnight in manhattan, either by planning or because they are avoiding weather elsewhere, venturing out at night from 12th avenue and 48th street could be a little challenging. it's rather deserted, with very little foot traffic and lots of speeding vehicles. if returning to the ship at night, i'd take a cab or car service. arriving at 10 AM or noon or whatever on your embarkation day? no problem. walking from your midtown hotel to the cruise terminal? no problem. and a good number of the cabins sound like a haunted mansion. i don't think this would be a major factor. it's difficult to predict the impact on the cost of delivering goods, but the most a truck would be charged is $36. even if there were twenty trucks, that would be less than a thousand dollars... a mere rounding error when you consider the revenue on a typical cruise out of the new york market. as for passenger cars... the fee will be $15, again, not a major deterrent. and while many do drive and park, far more arrive by bus and train and other forms of public transportation. what i do think will impact cruise lines desire or ability to cruise out of manhattan is legislation requiring the ships to be on shore power while docked and stricter enforcement of existing laws related to trucks idling while waiting as long as 24 hours to deliver their goods. both of these issues have been discussed in other threads.

i carry a stainless steel money clip in my pocket... one side has a channel for credit cards, which i use for my key card and for casino card(s) and maybe an ID if headed off the ship. the other side carries singles and fives for tipping.

correct, if it's an "insider offer" for double points. there are other double points codes, but that's the one for a past guest offer.

steady supply? the show, with its lengthy reprise at the end, is only 70 minutes! how many drinks are we talking about?

while true, that's not really the point. if somebody is told double points would be given, double points should be given. my impression from the OP's post is not that they need to take a deep breath nor do they need some sort of stress relief. they were seeking information about whether this was a common occurrence and how they could rectify the oversight.

always a dilemma at cagney's. i love cheesecake, but i'm not a butterscotch fan.