cruiseny4life

Wow! I hope that continues on all ships. On our previous cruises, the thermal suite has never opened until sail away. I'm really glad to hear you experienced something different. I hope this becomes the norm! Also, apparently hours have shifted as it used to be 8 AM - 10 PM on all days, except the last day which was 8 AM - 10 PM. I do enjoy those evening hours, so an extra hour would be nice. I might even delay my bed time to enjoy the thermal suite a little more.

The thermal suite? If so, it generally opens at sail away time until 10 PM on embarkation day. If the spa with services, I'm not sure.

I've certainly been guilty of tipping an attractive server more...not proud of it, but it has happened in the past.

That's ok! Disagreement is fine. I know many on here will disagree with what the post you quoted. I've had similar conversations before and plenty of posters said essentially what you said. I'll stick with what I said though - except for the government agencies. They can throw any kind of monkey wrench in they want. I won't go down that rabbit hole as Cruise Critic isn't the right place for me to complain about those policies/procedures/issues.

Your niece is an elite coffee drinker! If I had a mere cup of coffee with dinner, I'd be up for hours...and I don't want anything to come in between me and my bedtime at 9 PM. Oh, my younger self would be pi$$ed with me now...he who did all nighters constantly until I got married and hit 35! I'm glad the food was yum!!

First, I work in HR, for a disaster management/consulting firm that contracts with all levels of government, so yes. Second, at many of the ports, a third party, Intercruise Shoreside and Port Services (https://www.intercruises.com/where-we-are/) staff the counters. Their employees are not unionized. If NCL really cared about the customer experience (based on all these horrible embarkation/disembarkation stories that are not mine), they would ensure the company running pier services provided a quality experience.

The breakfast potatoes seem to always make it on my plate, even though I never order them and almost always ask for them not to be delivered as I know they'll be left unscarfed. Alas, NCL apparently enjoys heaping these potatoes on my plate as if they are laughing at me for missing the greasy sponged fried potatoes! Your breakfast sandwich, with tomato, looks fantastic!!

If the cruise line cared about their customers they would advocate on behalf of them and not just accept shoddy customer service. Having said that, I've only been faced with one long line in my two years of cruising. I blamed NCL. I still blame NCL, and readers on Cruise Critic educated me to also blame the port personnel. So yea, I'm going to lay blame squarely where it belongs: the port and NCL. I'll also give NCL and the port credit when the line isn't long. And, it hasn't been long since that April 2022 Bermuda fiasco. Thankfully I only waited three hours, while others waited eight.

This is what I do. Then my watch and phone are set to the correct time for that time zone and/or for ship time, if it differs from local time. And, if my phone connects to a cell tower, it's not going to change the time on my phone as that feature is disabled by setting time zone manually.

You'll be fine with shorts. They even let me in with my athletic shorts (think soccer-type). Just so long as they're not short shorts, per NCL. And mine are definitely not short. I just stay away from whatever restaurant does not allow shorts/t-shirts. It's easy to do! From our November Pr1ma cruise at Hudson's (same placard was at all restaurants): And yes, I know I'm a slob. It's vacation, yo!

No one has actually said this on the thread. So long as I live, it'll be empathy for me. Perhaps you'll be sympathetic. That's your take. It's not mine and I won't allow my words to be construed as sympathy. You sympathize til the sea gulls can't reach land, if you want (I know, I know...was gonna say til the cows come home, but trying to make it topical to cruising). That's your right, just as it's mine to be empathetic.

Empathy is exactly what I intended to say. And empathy is what I wish others on these boards would have for those in bad situations, regardless of who is at fault. Nowhere did I say the consequences were unfair, unjust, etc. I don't think I actually provided my opinion on the circumstance being discussed. Empathy : the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empathy

Thanks for bringing us along on your cruise!

Thank you! I appreciate the reasoning. That does make sense and I suppose perhaps a wine waiter could be helpful for me. I could describe what I like and they could give me an idea of what would be tasty. As it is, I order blindly, figuring I have Free at Sea so if I don't like it, I don't have to drink it. Appreciate you educating me while you're on vacation!

It's just that many posters forget about empathy. Someone might be in the wrong. They may have made a silly decision. Heck, they could have made absolutely every wrong move in the book. 85 isn't far off from my grandma's age. I imagine her in this situation and how this could impact her. I don't think I'd need to tell her she was wrong. Perhaps I could make some suggestions as to what she could do next time...but bottom line, there are a lot of posters lacking empathy about various happenings on these here boards. And, I'll admit, sometimes I spout off before having half a brain to consider the human element.

Not that I would have wanted to miss time on the ship, but gosh what interesting travels those people had! Plus, they have a story to tell for a lifetime. It'll be fodder for dinner parties for years to come. I bet they learned a lot about kind people who would help them half a world away from home too. Agreed! It's not really about how strict NCL is. It's about the circumstances to get to the next port/stay on schedule/get out of the harbor before the next ship, and a myriad of other considerations. I watched all those shows. I really couldn't tolerate the made up drama surrounding late passengers. Based on what you're planning to do, sounds like you'll be in good shape! I just discovered (yes, I'm ignorant) about two weeks ago that Anne Frank was actually captured and died in a concentration camp. My entire life I thought she lived to a ripe old age. Absolutely heartbreaking.

I'm pretty sure you know me enough to know that I can be a smart a$$...I'm not actually trying to be with this question. I am absolutely not a wine connoisseur! My idea of a fine wine is the Shades of Blue Riesling (you should try it - it's yummy to my not refined palate)! So, what exactly does a wine waiter do that a server is unable to do?

Wow! I've never seen such large shrimp on a NCL dish. That looks more like shrimp alfredo than scampi though! I'm sorry it disappointed - it looks terrific with a bit of salt and pepper added, I'm sure.

I hope this brings pride to your face! You warned me not to drink while reading the story about dad's full frontal. What you didn't warn me about was to close my office door. Half my wing heard me dying in here at the antics of your dad - I'm sorry it happened as I know it has to be difficult - but glad you relayed the story to us. I didn't share the source of my laughter with those I disrupted. So consider that a NY office building disrupted by Jewel activities! Thank you, thank you!

Nope! I've never even seen a razor with the style of plug installed on cruise ships. It's always been a typical 110v plug for my razors and now that I'm lazy, for whatever stylist trims up my beard.

Only if we also agree that NCL onboard staff are not telling the truth when they claim NCL monitors Cruise Critic and will sometimes take feedback from Cruise Critic into account when making changes. Personally, I'll stick with the onboard crew are telling the truth which therefore means Cruise Critic (just like Google Reviews, Yelp, etc.) is a legitimate way of letting the cruise line know what you think. But yes, continue filling out the post cruise survey that NCL admits they don't really read/respond to.

I've never rented from Fox. I've considered it several times. Then I read the small print and the directions to get to wherever the rental location is. I know how they save money! But, I'm not willing to take the savings they pass on to me for the rigmarole. I hope embarkation goes smoothly for you today!!

I understand why you would be nervous. Some (myself included, sometimes 😞 ) can be too harsh on some commenters. Gotta think before clicking that "reply" button! You'd think I would remember that. I was totally willing to give @MajSteve the benefit of the doubt. I was hoping for an updated post with more things that went wrong. Not that anything should go wrong! After all, we're all paying thousands of dollars for a cruise vacation. And that money is valuable to all of us. Your review, though, is an example of a great review! You provided some nuance, mentioned a couple of negatives, and positives. Since cruises are primarily based on the people around (crew, guests, port agents, vendors), something is bound to go wrong on every cruise. But, that doesn't mean 95% of the cruise shouldn't be great! If you chose right (i.e. don't choose NCL if you want a formal Cunard experience and vice versa). By reading multiple reviews, yours, the OP's, mine, others, it is easier for a guest that wants to do the research to find the best possible cruise for them where they'll get the most value out of the experience. Thank you for adding to the vast store of experiences here on Cruise Critic - good, bad, ugly, mediocre! Sometimes I do think a few posters just cannot fathom NCL providing a bad experience to guests, based on their past experiences. We do pay thousands for our cruises and expect a great experience. We should continue with that expectation! And, yes, hold NCL accountable (in whatever virtually powerless way we can) when the experience isn't up to our expectations...if those expectations are within the realm of reality.

Ok. That makes more sense and is so much more in line with what I thought your ethos were! I suppose if I think about it, the same happens to us. The servers that get to know us well know that my husband will talk forever, while I'd prefer to just sit there, look grumpy (I'm not grumpy, just look it) and enjoy the peacefulness around me.

You and my husband both!!! He'd be devastated if the shrimp scampi left the menu. I just don't like it or, really, anything else on the menu. The salads are good, I suppose. I do order the seafood fritto misto a lot, along with a salad. That is my typical choice. You're an anomaly! 🙂 The service onboard, even in the main dining room, is far too attentive for me. I always hate going to "fine" dining as I'm just not into servers treating me like royalty. Personally, the best servers are those at small town diners that just treat you like their neighbor (even if they've never met you). I much prefer those. I generally wear down a Haven server or two by day three, so that we can just be treated normally, instead fancified! My husband? Yea, he's with you! He wants the "fine" experience with doting servers who expect your every whim. Drives me absolutely banana pants! Ok....maybe I'm the anomaly. 🙂