UKstages

i misread the fifth word here and, i have to say, i prefer to think that this sentence contained a typo.

oh, geez. i was no longer commenting on the inane phrase. i was waxing poetic and making a pithy point about the concept of relatively new cruisers having no reference points. they can't say with certainty that they like the new buffet because they have no idea what the old buffet was like. rinse. lather and repeat throughout the ship. this point exists in a universe independent of the phrase "contemporary cruiser."

i haven't forgotten. it makes reading much more pleasurable. except when other people quote the folks who've been ignored. then there's no escape. oh, and some threads are comical... five or six of the folks i have on ignore talking repeatedly to themselves. occasionally, i'll look. and it always reconfirms my prior decision.

you have been misled. they don't like turn down service or hash browns. they like turn down service with hash browns. there is no finer feeling at sea than to return to your stateroom to discover a hockey puck on your pillow at bedtime.

no, i think you may have missed the subtext... and the context. the term "contemporary cruiser" was picked up from a frequent poster on this board. that poster has repeatedly used the term to explain and dismiss a number of unpopular changes enacted by NCL. many here, including me, disagree with that analysis (that the "contemporary cruiser" prefers this or that) and we now use the epithet in a playful way to point out the ridiculousness of any statement which purports to know what the "contemporary cruiser" prefers. but then i went on to make a serious point... if one were to assume that a contemporary cruiser was somebody on the younger side... they only know what they know. one can't say that "contemporary cruisers" don't like buffets if the only buffet they know is the prima buffet, or even a larger buffet on a ship like the getaway or the joy,.. at which cutbacks have made the buffets choice and quality a shadow of its former incarnation.

you and your husband lead charmed lives. yes, always crowded at dinner. i circled, too, like a plane waiting to land at la guardia during a storm. the contemporary cruiser eschews labels and looks upon societal conventions with disdain. the contemporary cruiser is a free spirit with limitless potential and untapped capacity for joy, benevolence and understanding. all kidding aside... the odd thing about what the "contemporary cruiser" is said to enjoy and prefer is that the contemporary cruiser is too young to know about anything else. when it is said that the contemporary cruiser doesn't like buffets... it must be acknowledged that, if true, in many cases, the contemporary cruiser onboard the prima only has the prima buffet on which to base a decision. the fact is that all types of cruisers don't like the prima buffet... it's a lousy buffet. it has nothing to do with the cruiser's age and everything to do with the buffet's size, design and quality.

they are, but not as pricey... you're dealing chiefly with licensing costs... the permission to recreate an official version of the game show along with its trade dress. labor costs are low, ridiculously low compared to full scale productions. "elements" has, i dunno, what? maybe twenty or twenty-five people onstage and another dozen or more backstage. there are multiple costume changes and elaborate set pieces. "price is right" has a "cast" of two. there are some folks backstage, but probably not as many as a production show. there are also prizes... which may run an additional $750 or so per performance. my spidey sense tells me that some of those prizes are free in exchange for promotional consideration. there is also insurance... NCL or the independent production company likely has insurance in case somebody wins the big prize... just as they probably do in the casino for those lotto drawings during which nobody has ever won a million dollars. but, on balance, it is not only much cheaper to produce a game show... it also causes a lot fewer headaches. with a production show, you have to deal with the original creative teams and work with them to create a "tab" version of the show (a shorter version). there are multiple costume designs and set pieces. there are more ongoing rehearsals as cast members come and go. you have to deal with dissatisfaction from a segment of guests who will object to content or language in "priscilla" or "six" or "jersey boys" or "donna" or "kinky boots" or whatever. what are people going to say about "price is right?" they object to the choice of beats headphones as a gift? i haven't seen "press your luck," which i understand up to now has used an unprepared and underrehearsed cruise director as emcee. and while "deal or no deal" generally uses the cruise director or a staff member as host, "price is right" is a slick, heavily produced show with strong production values. it has a cast of two, a warm up person who doubles as the announcer, as well as a host. they are cast and hired specifically for these roles. while NCL has a tradition of atrium-style game show entertainment, the direction they are headed in with their new game show initiative is for polished, fully staged shows, produced by independent production companies. but these shows, as slick as they are, are far less expensive than broadway musicals.

very few people here on cruise critic have experience using starlink onboard NCL ships, as it is in the process of being rolled out. the marketing materials would have you believe that starlink will deliver download speeds of up to 100 mbps. in actual practice, most people have reported speeds in the neighborhood of 2 - 4 mbps. of course, speeds will vary according to how many active internet users there are at any given time, but many believe NCL throttles the bandwidth. that being said, you should be able to participate in social media. uploading videos may take a bit of patience.

i like this idea. well, i don't actually like the idea; i don't like the idea of paying for indulge at all! (although, i probably would. i certainly would if i was on land.) but let me take you down a slightly different road. building on your idea of limiting access... what if every passenger on a seven day cruise got three "passes" to indulge? lunch or dinner. or it could be four passes, with two being for lunch and two being for dinner? (breakfast would still be open admission.) conceivably, you'd get five or six passes for a ten day cruise. and so on. it could be coded on your card, much like specialty dining is now coded on your card. you could also purchase additional passes for a nominal fee, perhaps $5.95, perhaps $9.95. i think this would similarly cut down on crowding, although not entirely. sea days would still be crowded and peak times would no doubt still be crowded... but probably not so much. it could habe the reverse effect, of course... it could build demand because folks would not want to waste their valuable passes... perhaps people who never visited would feel like they would have to. as for margaritaville... it will be interesting to see what happens with american diner now becoming a contemporary, er, i mean, complimentary restaurant. will the crowds return? or was the jimmy buffet connection part of the appeal? the card readers are there because the device manufacturer put them there... it's the same device used in many pay for play restaurants on land. they are indeed used to verify drink purchases in indulge or for beverage overages above $15 (if you don't have the plus drink package). NCL could use the technology to start charging for indulge access, but it would be billed to your folio, as with all onboard charges. you certainly wouldn't need a card reader in a traditional sense... for credit cards. besides, everybody knows... contemporary cruisers don't need no stinkin' credit cards! some of the finest food at sea. on NCL or any other line. particularly if you like indian food, as many contemporary cruisers do. i would have preferred that american diner be converted to an indulge food hall or at least "indulge light," as most american diners aren't big enough to support this dining concept.

it isn't so much what's in it (although that's a part of it), it's really about what's not in it: no kids, no chair hogs, no loud music, no smoking, no crowds, no long wait to be served. the vibe offers a guaranteed lounge chair (not a specific one, but the number of lounge chairs is equal to or exceeds the vibe's capacity). the loungers (many with umbrellas) are much more comfortable than those on the pool deck. the vibe offers exceptional service from a dedicated team of bartenders, servers and chair attendants. the vibe has hot tubs and several well-maintained bathrooms. and it offers unparalleled views... among the best on the ship. for a seven day journey, you can probably expect to pay about $249 or thereabouts. do you have a current cruise booked? if so, you can go under the entertainment tab and see what the vibe will cost on your ship. both people do not have to purchase, but only the person who purchases would be allowed in. so, unless you want to spend the entire cruise apart from your traveling companion, this would not really work. (the vibe does sell day passes, if available, for about $99.)

after final payment? that would be incredibly early for isafjordur! typically, this port is canceled either as you board the ship or a day before the scheduled port call.

children say and think the darnedest things. (so do posters on cruise critic.) hey, did you know that mork (from ork) was suggested as a character on "happy days" by creator garry marshall's son? it's true. i can't say for sure whether FDR's grandkids suggested go karts. i wasn't in the room where it happened. i don't know if it's a cute story hatched by an overzealous PR agent. but it is certainly possible that his grandkids suggested them... just as garry marshall's son is largely responsible for launching robin williams' career. here's why... the timeline that some dismiss as disqualifying is precisely the thing that demonstrates why it's likely that the story is true. FDR is a cruise industry veteran and founded oceania in 2002. NCLH acquired prestige cruises (parent of oceania and regent) in 2014 (the year we've been told the bliss was ordered) and FDR became the head of NCLH in 2015. so FDR was indeed a part of NCLH in 2014. he didn't run the company until the next year, but he was onboard, so to speak, in 2014. also, if you've ever been around corporate boardrooms, you'd know that the work and the conversations don't begin when a company is acquired nor do they begin the day you become the head of the company. those conversations begin long before. and, in many cases, those conversations are the reason you get hired to head the company. it's inconceivable to me that FDR didn't influence the design and direction of the bliss as it was being conceived and built. for all we know, he may have been given the top spot because of his brilliant go kart idea! the inconvenient truth is that the timelines mesh perfectly.

many who have the NCL credit card or another loyalty card with 3% or greater rewards think it's worth it. the charge appears on your folio and counts as a purchase, not a cash advance, plus you'll be getting whatever your credit card provides, such as miles or onboard credit or hotel points.

who is this "contemporary cruiser" i keep hearing so much about? and why does he or she have such bad taste? and how does one know what the contemporary cruiser likes? i'm cruising next week... i must be a contemporary cruiser! it's not that young and old don't like game shows; it's not that contemporary and old fashioned cruisers don't like game shows... it's that pretty much everybody who likes them doesn't want them to replace scripted entertainment. game shows appeal to CFOs because they have a "cast" of 1 to 4 people and one fixed set.

you only need luggage tags for the first cruise. if you’ll be changing rooms for the second, third or fourth cruises, they will send special luggage tags to your cabin showing the old and new cabin locations… and your cabin attendant will move your bags. the ones they sent you are unnecessary.

when I read these posts about the pool deck, I have to smile. (despite my reputation as a curmudgeon, I smile all the time!) the reason I’m so amused is because I’m thinking about all the threads about the vibe in which many folks claim it’s not worth it… why on earth, they ask, would you spend money for something (they claim) is available for free elsewhere on the ship? in this thread, we read over and over again that you can’t get a lounge chair, the hot tubs exceed capacity, and the pool deck is packed wall to wall, port to starboard, with a mass of humanity… with rude and inappropriate behavior being the order of the day, along with ever present noise. and many of those comments are being made by the same folks who - in the vibe threads - insist that what the vibe offers is available elsewhere on the ship for free!

on the newest ships, they have an innovative dining concept featuring a large number of “action stations” offering different types of complimentary cuisine in one location. the guest orders off a tablet; the food is delivered quickly in tapas-sized portions. NCL has chosen to add a version of Q to this concept, in part because they lack space elsewhere on the smaller ship to put a full sized version of the restaurant. guests have responded well to the concept overall and have largely enjoyed Q’s offerings, with many in particular praising the BBQ salmon and pulled pork sandwiches. there. I fixed it for you. you’re welcome.

most significantly, lobster rolls.

well, if you're willing to settle for decent BBQ, it is decent. it's acceptable. as others have said, you can't smoke meats on the ship... so all the meat products are cooked in a central kitchen on shore (presumably in miami) and brought on board in vacuum sealed bags. they are either removed and warmed or they go through a sous vide process. it's not real barbecue, but it's not terrible. the banana pudding dessert is very good, as is the spicy margarita. what many people do is order the huge platter (that has a little of everything) to share and pay for it outright without using a meal credit.

a large number of factors determine where you get seated in a restaurant onboard an NCL ship, including the time you arrive, whether there are reservations, how many are waiting, which cabin category the guest is in and their status in NCL's latitudes program. haven guests are more likely to get preferred locations, for instance, as are diamond, ambassador and sapphire guests. and they are more likely to be seated more quickly. that being said, as a solo male traveler with sapphire status, i, too, have been seated at an undesirable table, but i've also been sat as a solo by the window. when traveling with a companion, i have also been sat at an undesirable table and i've also been sat by the window. but whenever i have asked, my request for a window table has always been honored.

not only have i never heard anyone ask for this brand by name; i've never even heard of this brand! on NCL ships i've been on, they have been pouring carolans instead of bailey's. nobody asks for it by name, though. they ask for bailey's. they're told of the up-charge. they they ask, "what else you got?" then they acquiesce to the non-bailey's brand. if i'm going to pay extra (above the standard drink package), it wouldn't be for bailey's... i'd go for amarula. it's a cream liqueur from south africa. sweet, but more complex than bailey's with a fruity undertone (one of the ingredients is the fruit of the marula tree). it tastes a little bit like liquid dulce de leche.

folks, the la cucina thing was in 2018, apparently. that was lifetimes ago in cruise years! and it was on a new year's cruise, during which the ship was packed to the gills. i wouldn't count on NCL opening up a specialty restaurant for lunch to divert traffic from the haven on embarkation day, except under extraordinary circumstances, if ever again.

excellent idea! may i suggest locating this adjacent to the medical center?

the "no staterooms available" or "no upgrades available" sign is almost always on display on day 1 of every cruise. yes, most cruises are sold out these days, more or less. but the real reason is that many people think they can upgrade on the spot or talk the guest services folks into a different or better room based on some minor inconvenience they experienced. the sign, NCL's theory goes, discourages people from asking for a change of rooms or an upgrade. (spoiler alert: it doesn't.)

NCL rules prohibit teens traveling together in their own room, unless accompanied by another guest 21 or over, or unless they are married. so, it looks like you’ll be needing a two bedroom suite.