UKstages

oh, my. glad you made the trip to the MCT and that it was uneventful and that you were helped along the way by many friendly new yorkers. i live in the neighborhood and responded to your initial inquiry in a helpful way and pretty much told you that you would experience exactly what you describe in this thread. the neighborhood is quite walkable! i did however reject the notion that the neighborhood was "seedy." and i did that by putting the word in quotes, just as you have done here and just as you did there. and i put the word "allegedly" before it to indicate that i didn't agree. i referred to it in my post as the "allegedly seedy" neighborhood. because it ain't seedy. please note that there are a few key pieces of information divulged in this post that weren't revealed before. that you are 73 and that you have some mobility issues. oh, and that you would be carrying more luggage than you initially described. you initially said that you had "carry on" bags. here you describe a brief case plus a backpack and also a 24 inch suitcase. you also changed your departure point. originally, you had asked for advice in navigating from the port authority bus terminal, which is considerably closer to the cruise terminal than any of the other locales you describe in this post. (much of that original post is about you arriving on a bus from newark airport and wishing to go directly to the MCT.) had you explained all that initially, and that you would be coming from the upper west side, neither i nor anybody else would likely have advised you to walk through any neighborhood nor cross a footbridge nor take the subway or navigate the many steps required to get in and out of most subway stations. again, very glad you survived the journey! but it would be really helpful to explain everything you're thinking of doing, so you can get the best advice for your particular situation. here's a link to the original thread...

the people who deigned the apollo 13 spacecraft designed spaceships for a living. the people who designed the boeing 737 max designed airplanes for a living. and, needless to say, the people who designed the prima and the viva are professionals, who design and build and market cruise ships for a living. sometimes they get it ridiculously right. and sometimes they get it horribly wrong. and sometimes their product is used in unique and novel ways that the designers had not anticipated - or there are unpredictable catastrophic flaws in infrastructure or design - and course correction is necessary. and sometimes the designers and/or execs are so blind to their own vision, and so removed from the actual user experience that they make terrible unforgivable mistakes. the people who created "new coke" designed and marketed soft drinks for a living. the people at kodak, who popularized personal photography and who actually designed the first digital camera, thought it would destroy their company if they didn't protect what they considered their core business... film. and so they abandoned digital photography. they lost huge revenue share and had to file for bankruptcy. most product failures occur because the business doesn't get feedback from its end users before they launch a new product and/or they are resistant to feedback and course correction after they do. management tends to live in a vacuum, shielded from the real world and the actual customer experience. you think harry sommer ever walked around the indulge food hall for 45 minutes looking for a table? you do realize we're not designers or architects, right? most of us can't accept your heartfelt and well-meaning challenge simply because we can't draw or draft blueprints. we also have no formal relationship with NCL that would permit such a project. nor would NCL accept designs from us. but you don't need to be an architect or ship designer to know there are too few seats in the indulge food hall and that the improv can only fit about 70 people on a ship of 3000 and that there is soot on many deck chairs and that the outdoor space is unusable in cold weather climates and that there are disturbing and persistent noises coming from within the walls of many cabins. and some here on cruise critic and other social media sites have provided that feedback to NCL and also done so in their post-cruise surveys. that's all we can do... it's not our job to design new deck plans or new ships. what architects do is take that customer feedback and then set about to see if there is a better way to achieve many of the same goals they originally set, while responding to overwhelming customer feedback that may influence their subsequent designs... all while meeting the revenue and budget goals of the cruise line. that's why there is no starbucks in the indulge food hall on the viva! not because a designer decided he or she had made a mistake... but because hundreds or thousands of guests told NCL that they couldn't find a seat when attempting to dine in indulge. so, yes, i guess you could say that we do know better.

nope. it's an official NCL corporate policy, according to two cruise directors with whom i've discussed the issue. NCL believes that comedy doesn't "translate" well and that their international guests couldn't possibly understand english-speaking comedians. this is silly, of course and ignores the fact that "friends" and "how i met your mother" are watched in over 100 countries. and that netflix is streamed in over 190 countries and many of their standup specials are shown in english with subtitles. and that many people learn english as a second language by watching american sitcoms. it also ignores the fact that many of their international guests are from english speaking regions, such as the UK or australia or from regions such as asia or south america, where most people who can afford to cruise are bi and tri-lingual. NCL's attitude regarding this issue is not very inclusive or progressive and is hopelessly mired in1980's thinking.

for "booking purposes?" this implies that they switch rooms once onboard and put the two adults in one room for "sleeping purposes." if so, it's against the rules. and the rules are there for a reason. i know that i wouldn't be happy as a guest in proximity to two underage teens together in their own room. (although, i do agree that two girls, aged 16 and 18, are unlikely to be holy terrors.) but as somebody who has been in a room adjacent to two underage kids who ran up and down the hallways in the middle of the night and played catch in the hall and held what could only be described as nighty pizza parties in their room with eight to ten other tweens and teens while the parents weren't anywhere to be found... i say, reconsider that plan. isn't it funny the way people make their own rules and bend the rules to justify whatever they want to do onboard an NCL ship? "oh, it's OK if i decorate my door even though NCL prohibits it. everybody does it and nobody will mind. it couldn't possibly be a fire hazard or impede the flow of rescue workers... it's just a magnet and some crepe paper. and mom turns 70 only once. plus, how am i supposed to find my cabin?" "oh, it's OK if i refill my water bottle directly from the tap at the buffet. I'm a very clean person and i certainly won't contaminate anything. surely nobody will mind." "oh, it's OK if i arrive at the pier at 9:30 am, even though my check-in time is 1 pm. they don't check and nobody will mind." "oh, it's OK if i place my towels and books and sunglasses on these four chairs. after all, i'm up at 6 am and the early bird catches the worm, right? besides, i'll be back after lunch and my spa appointment. who could possibly mind?" "oh, it's OK if i smoke on my balcony. what am i supposed to do, go all the way up to deck 16? i don't think my neighbors will mind and there's no real danger of the ship catching on fire from one cigarette. besides, you can't really smell the cigarette on the open seas. nobody will mind." "oh, it's OK if i vape as i'm walking around the ship. i'm very discreet and you can't really even smell it. i know you're not supposed to smoke, but this is different. i'm just vaping. it's harmless. who could possibly mind?" "oh, it's OK if i smoke pot. it's medicinal. nudge, nudge, wink, wink. and legal in my state. nobody will mind." "oh, it's OK if i smoke cigarettes in the cigar room. i know it's not technically allowed, but everybody does it... what's the difference? nobody will mind." "oh, it's OK if i put my two kids in one room without adult supervision. they are very well behaved. and we'll be right across the hall. what could possibly go wrong? it's nobody's business where my kids sleep! besides, who would possibly mind?" you'd be surprised. many people do in fact mind.

ship's network. no minutes required. i'm familiar with the tech from having used something similar in business presentations/trainings, but i am unfamiliar with this specific system. i am basing all my knowledge here on the press release and on a couple of internet reviews i've read.

yes, assuming that shows don't rehearse in off hours, as they have been known to do on some ships.

you do pay to play... if you want to participate, even as an audience member. if you want to be eligible to win prizes as an audience member, there is indeed a fee. but you can be a spectator and just watch the show for free. more troubling than the fee - to me - is that audience participation is via your cell phone and it requires use of NCL's wonky internet. that's just a bad idea, even if the ship has starlink.

yes, that's the concept. the reason it failed is because not all venues of relatively the same size have the same appeal. everybody wants to eat in the indulge food hall and the buffet. when NCL planned it all out, however, they likely thought people would be equally distributed among all the dining venues, both paid and complimentary. they thought that los lobos would have as many covers as cagney's and that people would eat in port and not crowd the local when they returned to the ship. but homey don't cruise like that. some people want to eat in indulge four nights during a seven night cruise and not at all in palomar or onda. and they want to stop by the local or the buffet when they return from an excursion. but the diminutive buffet is closed, so the local gets slammed. i think the clearest solution to this problem is to sail the ship they built in climates that are generally better suited to capitalize on the number and variety of outdoor spaces. NCL seems reluctant to take that approach with the prima. reviews of the prima for caribbean itineraries are far better than for its icelandic and norwegian journeys. there is a reason for that!

it's not that the prima has a few things wrong with it, a few things badly designed and/or executed, a few careless and thoughtless experiments. no, no, no... it's the convergence of so many bad ideas gone wrong all at once. it's the cumulative effect of so many of these things together with one of the poorest management teams at sea... it's truly terrifying to sail onboard the prima... a comedy of terrors. speaking of comedy, how's that improv club working out for them? you know, the one that is too small for comedy, so they use it for trivia, singles meetups, lectures and art auctions?

the smokehouse would be Q, the BBQ restaurant. never had a room near there, but they do generally have a country trio in there for an hour or two during dinner. (there is a small stage.). sometimes, they will put on an afternoon show in there, like a broadway cabaret or musical revue. so there could be noise, i suppose, but nothing too bothersome or for too long. isn't the theatre right next door to Q? i'd be more concerned about noise from the theatre than from Q.

well, again, i don't know that there will be any other choice offered to haven guests. the haven gets crowded on embarkation day. the american diner had virtually no customers. somebody had the bright idea to siphon off some haven guests to the diner and promote it as a perk. many actually tried it.. at least once. on subsequent cruises for those guests, not as many, as the american diner fare didn't appeal to some as much as the haven restaurant menu. for a lot of people, it was a one time embarkation day thing. this opportunity, this scenario of having an underutilized restaurant, no longer exists. as for why the haven restaurant is overflowing on embarkation day... i don't think it has anything to do with upgrades. it has to do with many guests arriving all at the same time and wanting to eat. on any other day, the guest load is more equally distributed throughout the complete opening hours and sending guests to another venue is generally unnecessary.

unless i'm mistaken (and i often am), the joy has a steakhouse, a brew house and a smokehouse. not sure there is a roadhouse. which would your proposed inside cabin be under?

yes, the earlier arrival times tend to "sell out" more quickly. check-in opens up at midnight miami time, 21 days before the day of the cruise. so that would be 9 pm, 22 days out on the west coast. with regard to your mom... you should be able to go to a handicapped entrance or line, which should speed things up going through security and then there is generally pre-boarding for those in wheel chairs and using walkers and such. i'm not sure if all five in your party would be allowed to take advantage or just you and your mom. to speed things up, you may wish to consider getting a wheel chair at the pier.

its' a nice idea... offering a specialty restaurant for lunch to haven guests and it solves overcrowding issues in the haven restaurant... but where would they send people? they'd have to open up a specialty restaurant specifically for this. american diner was open for lunch and underutilized, so that made sense.

thanks for your candid review. according to NCL's FAQs, the "service charge" (for the purposes of this discussion, a.k.a. the "gratuity") is included in all platinum free dinners. of course, if you order a menu item with an up-charge, or if you order a drink not covered by your drink package, you'll pay a gratuity of 20% of the additional charges.

my success factor is 75% for club balcony having robes. three cruises, they were there. one, i had to ask.

all the unanswered questions have to do with why - and perhaps how - it happened. we know what happened... a number of people, including the OP, had their vibe passes revoked. some seem to have been offered $50 compensation by the folks at guest services. that's what happened! i have no further questions at all about what happened. all my interest lies in uncovering why or how it happened.

i had the same experience recently... sort of. the system rejected my photo three times. (the same photo i've used countless times for other cruises.) told me that i could complete check-in and then have photo taken at the pier. i went in the next day to try again...and the photo was already in the account. my cruise hasn't taken place yet, but i assume the photo is in there. but every time they've asked to take a new photo at the pier, there was already an approved photo in the system.

they've INSISTED on retaking the photo for me at the pier more often than not and this disappoints me deeply, as I have a great headshot that I like to use and - invariably - when they take the photo at the pier, i wind up looking as if i just woke up in my cave in afghanistan. there's nothing wrong with the photo... these folks have just been improperly trained. they believe - incorrectly - that when you get to the part of the checkin process during which they confirm that a photo is on the account, that it is a requirement to take a photo.

last may/june on the prima, i asked to take the leftover pizza from onda with me and they gave me a plate and a napkin to cover the plate and essentially said, "knock yourself out." it's highly dependent on the restaurant's manager/staff.

i think we all know what happened... we're waiting to hear why it happened.

i know mr. norwegian and i get a bunch of things for free when i sail on his cruise line... he gives me free wifi and free drinks for starters. he also lets me eat at a lot of places on the ship for free, pretty much whenever i want. it's good to have friends who take care of you.

and that indeed sounds like a buy out or a large group. reminds me of that other thread about the prima closing the observation lounge for the duration of a voyage. i would not accept $50 OBC and i would contact the general manager, again explaining how the entire trip was booked around having vibe access, and contact corporate (katty byrd's office) in miami simultaneously. tomorrow is a holiday, but they should respond on tuesday.

verizon has different plans; for many people, most international coverage is ten dollars a day, with canada and mexico being free. are you sure mexico is $5 a day under your plan? might want to check with verizon to see if you're on the right plan or whether it makes sense to change plans... just for a short time while you're cruising. in any case, you need do nothing, provided you're already enrolled in whatever form of international coverage comes with your plan. all you have to do is turn on the phone and make sure airplane mode is disabled. generally, if you can see land from the ship, you're close enough to get a signal, albeit sometimes a weak one. in port, you can use the phone while on the ship, provided the phone can get a signal. bear in mind, deep within the bowels of the ship, you often can not get a signal. stairwells and heavy metal walls sometimes obstruct the signal. this is where balcony cabins come in handy! or the pool deck. or the vibe. if you have a signal, you can often use the phone at sail away for a good 45 minutes or an hour, as long as you're close to land. remember to put it back on airplane mode when you no longer have a signal! with regard to the vibe, you will not be able to purchase vibe passes for the next cruise while on the previous cruise. the second sailing is not yet "open" for reservations. their system simply doesn't allow that. however, there are many reports, including some from me, of vibe passes being available on embarkation day. generally, they're sold at a desk set up near the restaurant reservations desk... on some ships, this means just outside headliners or the social or teppanyaki. on a back to back, you'll be onboard before most other people, so, provided they are selling passes on the day, you're virtually guaranteed to get one. for your first cruise... same thing... board as early as possible and head straight to where they're selling vibe passes and try to snag one... or however many you need. congrats on hitting gold... yes, the cruise next desk should be able to see it on the morning of the second cruise and should be able to update your status and make sure you get whatever benefits you are due.

well, if a group does a “buy out” of the vibe, it’s just another space that the group has access to… it’s no longer really the vibe. they can hold parties, serve elaborate buffets, exceed the normal capacity and be as raucous as they want. they could even smoke and bring in kids, if NCL agreed to all that up front. if a group is just buying a large number of passes to the vibe, and it isn’t a total buy out, then i would imagine regular vibe rules would apply and, yes, the group would be mixed in with regular passengers. raucousness is not permitted, but, without a doubt, any time you put a large group within another group of unrelated people, the large group does tend to dominate.