UKstages

what you can do and what you should do may be two entirely different things. only you can determine what your preference is, based on your level of covid risk tolerance in the crowded terminal (in which few wear masks). and also - for some people - based on how much you wish to avoid the hassle of going through security twice. even if you arrive at a later hour and the line has thinned out... you still have to go through security. an alternative is to drop your bag with porters, then go have lunch in a theatre district or hell's kitchen restaurant or take a walking tour of manhattan. (of course, for some, there will be that pesky problem of what to do with your carry on.) then come back at 2:00 or 2:30 and glide through security and check-in. added bonus: your bags will likely already have been delivered to your room. i'll give an honest answer, as well as an editorial comment. they don't enforce the check-in time at all and that's a big part part of the problem. many people show up earlier than the time they booked, which crowds the terminal and makes for a most unpleasant experience. i'm not saying they would have enough staff to handle the crowds at any time, but i suspect it would be a far smoother experience if people only showed up at their appointed times. so, if you want, you can absolutely be that guy who shows up outside of his appointed time and have no fear of being found out. (except for your confession here, of course.) all's fair in love and cruising, i suppose. every man for himself, i suppose. but you don't really want to be that guy, do you? the guy who thinks rules don't apply to him? you may also wish to consider, after having read all these posts, that your late check-in might actually be a gift, a happy accidental bonus. seize the moment, albeit a later one.

while many recipes for mexican street corn do indeed include mayonnaise, mayo should not be the star of the show. if you can taste the mayonnaise, they're making it wrong. if they're just adding mayo to corn, they're making it wrong. the sauce should should have strong notes of cilantro, chili powder and cotija cheese, with a dash of lime juice. the creaminess comes more from the cheese and not the mayo. in my opinion, they do it exceedingly well at los lobos. (i couldn't even tell you if there was mayo in there, quite frankly.)

eye contact is key. if you make eye contact as you dart in to grab this item or that, it's allowed. unless it isn't, which will be indicated by a furrowed brow and a scowl. the analogy that a couple of people have made to driving and merging is apt. as long as there is an empty space and there isn't a critical mass of people waiting nearby to seize the item you're after, go for it. the thing is there are some folks who believe that one side of the entire buffet is one long line... but it isn't... and it was never intended to be. modern buffet designs have "action stations" which people crowd around to get what they like... really good buffets design these as separate islands... if you have a round or square free standing station, where is the beginning of the line? there is none... you dart in and out to get what you want. the problem with most buffets is that they have station after station set up in one long line. and some left brain thinkers and righteous folks who have been taught never to cut the line (and that's a good thing... that they have been taught never to cut the line) wrongly believe that they have to dutifully wait in line pushing their empty tray or plate past the fruit salad, past the cole slaw, past the jello mold, past the - egad, whatever that glutinous mess is - past twelve items they don't want, just so they can get what they do want. you don't have to do that! the other problem is when they have a really popular featured item like steak or prime rib or crabs - or whatever they're carving at the carving station - that people are legitimately lined up for. well, obviously you line up for that, too, if you want those items... the problem is when that line blocks your access to something else that you want and you have no interest in the featured popular item. it is permissible to break through that line, with a polite explanation, saying you just want to sneak in to get some french fries or steamed vegetables or some such. again, eye contact is key. and informing people of what you're doing if there is a line of people waiting nearby for the thing that you're not going after.

i've mentioned this in a few other threads regarding the MCT priority boarding process, but i'll repeat myself here. i traveled in the haven in april out manhattan and there was nothing "priority" about the boarding until after security and after the document check line. took a little over two hours until anybody could get to what passed for "priority" boarding for latitudes, CAS or haven.

you nailed it. yes and possibly yes.

the other strategy to avoid crowds is to arrive late and breeze through. i walked by he terminal at 2 PM today and here was nobody there. now, there could have been a crowd upstairs, but, generally, if there is nobody at street level, including porters, it's all over but the shouting. glad to hear they have made some progress in clearing up the mess that is the MCT departure experience!

if you upgrade the drink package, it can be used ship-wide. be aware, however, that availability of certain premium beverages may be limited at some bars. you may have to kind of "shop around" to find which bars have your preferred premium beverage in stock.

UKstages didn't say that at all. i suggest you go back and read what UKstages actually said. as for the butler and concierge having "handsomely paid salaries," that deserves further exploration. how much do you think they are paid? and do you think their salaries are calculated with the assumption that they will receive tips from most people or do you think that NCL believes their salaries will be their only compensation?

many people also chose to provide an additional gratuity to their room steward, above the prepaid service charge. same thing for favorite bartenders or servers. it's not required, there is no pressure nor expectation, but it is common for many, if you've received extraordinary service.

it's a little unclear from your post, since you begin by talking about your PCC, who you also compare to other "agents"... are you saying your friend was an NCL agent ( a "PCC")... or a travel agent? because 10% - 15% would be an extraordinarily high commission for a PCC, and that means they could conceivably be earning, very conservatively speaking, as much as five or six hundred dollars a day in commission! the variables affecting earnings are call length, number of calls/customers in a day, number of non-sales related (non-commissionable) calls, and total fare paid. but at the low end, it could be five or six hundred dollars a day and at the high end, as much as 1.5 or 2K a day! and that is some very serious compensation. i personally don't see how that is remotely possible. (agin, if we're talking PCCs.)

yeah, i gotta agree... it's largely a cruise next promo event. at the last one i attended, the cruise next guy sought me out, introduced himself and spent ten minute stalking about the prima, which i found interesting. (but i'm not inclined to purchasing cruise next certificates.) for those without drink packages, these parties are an opportunity to drink up, i suppose, but, in general, these events provide very little value. if you're not doing anything and you want the chance to perhaps maybe meet an officer, or if you have some sort of customer service issue and are hoping to find a "suit" who can offer problem resolution, then there might be a reason to attend. the passed hors d'oeuvres are often quite good. (although many are the same as might be delivered to a suite or haven room.)

i've traveled solo in the haven... no stigma associated with it whatsoever and full service is provided... there's no lesser treatment because you're dining alone or have a cabin for one. nobody looks upon you as an outcast. as for whether it's alienating... only to the degree you choose not to interact with others. you're in control of your experience and can choose to talk to whomever you wish or make new friends or dine alone or dine with those new friends (assuming they are also in the haven).

you don't really need to print the edocs... there is a QR code in the app... that's really all they need to start the check in process. it's quite possible that you may nave poor cell service or wifi service at the port, so it's helpful to have a screen shot of the QR code(s). if you must, and it makes you feel better, you can print out the QR code(s). but there is really no reason to print out the entire multipage edoc anymore. with regard to text messages... are you all on apple devices, by any chance? if so, you will most likely find that the iMessage feature works from one apple device to another while connected to the ship's wifi, even if you are not using minutes and officially connected through an internet "package." in other words, you may not need to purchase the "text" package. there are several threads here in the NCL forum about this and related matters.

the big difference is that NCL is - at most times - the only tenant in the MCT on a given day. so, yes, they can absolutely require the terminal to be operated as per their rules on those days. as for greyhound and united, they can make their own more stringent rules on their busses and aircraft, but not in shared terminals. as for newark airport, united doesn't own it, but it pretty much calls the shots at EWR as the most powerful airline in town... it "owns" the airport in that sense and almost always gets its way.... it has several terminals in which it is the only carrier. i suspect that if it wanted to require masks in terminals in which it is the only carrier, it could. it's really no different than providing special lanes for its premium passengers. PA runs the terminal and united works with them and contractors to provide special services for elite passengers. (yes, that is for a subset of passengers, but in a terminal in which united is the only carrier, it calls the shots.)

coming late to the party here... but i'll offer my thoughts on the original thrust of this thread: casino payouts. payouts (a.k.a. "return") is poor. very poor. you can't tell exactly how poor because there are no published stats on casino hold for cruise ships, unlike most land-based casinos. that being said, it can't be ridiculously awful... because nobody would play. the player has to win sometime, although most are likely to be net losers by the end of the cruise... gambling should be considered entertainment. minimum payback on slots in land-based casinos in most jurisdictions is around 85%. that's what most penny machines are set at. (higher denomination machines generally offer better payback.) that does not mean that you'll only lose $15 if you play $100 through. you could lose a hundred! what it means is that over time - millions of spins - the machine will pay back about 85%. your short term results will vary greatly and you could walk away a big winner. but you'll probably lose. my best guess is that minimum payback for slot machines on cruise ships is probably closer to 75% - 80%. that's just a guess! i've won a lot of money playing on cruise ships... and i've lost a lot of money... sometimes on the same cruise. on my most recent cruise, i won the 7K "grand" jackpot on one of those lightning link machines on a $5 bet, with only $200 invested in the machine. the next night, i was walking by and saw somebody hit the grand jackpot again on the same machine for a little more than 5K, which is what it reset to. so, people do indeed win on cruise ships and the slot machines play the same as they do on land... sort of kind of. the payback is presumably set lower, which means the big winning combinations and the bonus rounds may come less frequently, which ultimately affects the return. table games have onerous or unfavorable rules, particularly for blackjack, which decreases payback for the average player. my best advice: learn to play video poker, which is a game of both luck and skill. apply the correct strategy for the particular game you're playing and your expected return will be much greater than playing slots. you still may lose, but your money will likely last longer and if you hit a big hand, you could walk away a winner. as for free cruises, much of what has been said here is spot on. play even a few hundred dollars in the casino and you will likely be offered something... could be just a discount on your next cruise, but it also could be a "free" cruise (pay port fees and taxes and gratuities and daily service charge).

as pointed out before in another thread, there is a strong fallacy at play here. you assume that the population of potential cruisers is the same as the general population. it is not. cruise lines may be losing billions of dollars, but it isn't because 35% of their customer base has been rendered incapable of cruising. NCL (And every other cruise line) has the numbers on how many likely cruisers... former and potential customers are vaccinated. former and potential cruisers comprise a very thin slice of the gen pop and most are likely vaccinated... demographics are at play here, including education, age and disposable income. again, i don't have that figure, but NCL surely does. and if it were anywhere near 35% of former and potential customers, they would be lobbying to drop the vax requirement in a hot minute. comorbidity, shmomorbidity. it's not the comorbidity that's the exacerbating problem. it's covid and the variants. people live long and relatively healthy lives with diabetes and obesity and heart conditions and all manner of "comorbidities."

three words: mexican street corn.

yes, but presumably the polar bear is eating an ice cream cone, so there is at least a bit of contrast, especially if the polar bear has requested sprinkles. if anything, i think they try to "sell" the buffet (which is free) to deflect people away from the main dining rooms. there's always a sign or two saying what special is on offer in the buffet (prime rib! seafood night!)... i can't ever recall an overt attempt to upsell additional specialty dining. if the thrust of the question is to ask if there are discounts offered on specialty dining as the cruise goes on... i've never seen that, either. my best advice - to maximize value - would be to hook up with desiree hooter's travel agent.

yes, but i would say that it's both more complicated and simultaneously less complicated because the main customer at that terminal is NCL. all those contractors and agencies are indeed involved, you're absolutely right. but - at the end of the day - you have a client that isn't happy. (i'm assuming NCL isn't happy because many of its passengers aren't happy, but that may be an erroneous assumption.) as the primary customer of the manhattan cruise ship terminal, NCL needs to throw its considerable weight around and demand changes and adherence to its policies. they seem hesitant to do that, but imagine what might happen if they threatened to pull out of the terminal in, say, 2025, unless significant changes are implemented in the next 12 months. and, by the way, if NCL wants masks to be worn by passengers in the terminal (they apparently don't), they can demand it. there is no state or city law preventing that from happening. i was a haven passenger on the gem in april of 2022 out of manhattan. there was a two hour wait to get through security and document check. one security line fed the x-ray machines security checkpoint and, once through security, one long line funneled to the desk for document check. only then could you go to "check-in," with priority areas set up for platinum, CAS or suite/haven. there certainly may have been cantankerous contractors at the port, or perhaps they were uninformed, but there were no apparent alternate lines to process priority passengers until after security and document check.

a great deal, most likely. they can withhold payment based on failure to provide required services and lack of adherence to NCL brand standards. buried somewhere in the contract or statement of work are the details governing the nature of the relationship, who is responsible for which services, what the SLAs are associated with that work and what recourse is available if the required services are not provided. i haven't seen that statement of work, but i would be shocked to learn that NCL signed something that says they have no say in how terminal operations are conducted in association with their cruise departures. if they did sign such an onerous agreement, then you'd be absolutely right... they probably can't exert much control at all.

that could be true, however, the average bear who booked a cruise to bermuda knew nothing of the TA process or the associated fees at the time of booking. (many knew little at the time of sailing, which is, perhaps, why there were so many problems.) so i personally don't see a relationship between the easing of restrictions and a price increase, although there certainly could be one.

the QR code is all they need. i second debenson0723's suggestion to take a screen shot... due to the quality of cell phone service and wifi in various terminals, and the unreliability of the NCL app, you may not be able to pull up the QR code in real time.

you'll be able to order room service from the room service menu with no delivery fee. you can also order meals from the haven restaurant for "free," which is why i wouldn't necessarily recommend purchasing additional specialty dining credits. technically, meals from specialty restaurants are not "room service," but your butler can fetch meals for you from specialty restaurants. there is no delivery fee, but you do have to pay for the food, either with a FAS dining credit or by paying a la carte. drinks are a little trickier. again, technically, any alcoholic beverage delivered to your room does not qualify under your "free" drink package. if you have the premium plus package and are consuming a bottle of wine with dinner, you can usually get the remaining bottle "to go." technically, if they were to deliver the same bottle to your room unopened, it would not be covered by your package. technically, ordering an unopened bottle "to go" is not allowed. there have, of course, been reports of lax enforcement of these policies depending upon ship and personnel. YMMV. i strongly advise looking at the bottled wine list before upgrading to make sure there are a number of wines you'd enjoy drinking. there have been cutbacks/curtailments to the wines on offer and "supply chain issues" have affected availability in some cases on some ships. as far as a wine preservation system like coravin, i don't believe these are prohibited items. you can presumably bring that onboard, but if you plan to finish most wines within a day or so... do you really want to be schlepping that device around?

just. say. no. i would strongly advise against the purchase of the premium plan. the fastest speed i clocked recently on the premium plan was just under 2 Mbps, barely sufficient for slow web surfing... not nearly fast enough for streaming. YMMV.

my experience is a little different; i have never been asked "how do you want to pay?" rather, they assume i want to use my FAS dining credit and will say something like "you'll be using your dining credit?" that's sort of the same thing... but it isn't. this might seem like picking nits, but what i'm pointing out here is that the mindset of the hostess or server is often predisposed towards assuming that the dining credit will be used. and they are often on "auto pilot" since most people do indeed use their dining credit. so if you intend to have this charged to your room - for whatever reason - and "save" your dining credit, it may be helpful to say so several times, and confirm with your server before the bill is brought to the table.