laudergayle

The Princess app is frustrating. When trying to login from my iPad I keep getting invalid credentials…even though I can login via website. Any tips?? my other question us around dining reservations. Our cruise is April ‘25. When can I make reservations? And, is it easy to do on the app?

Guess who’s never been in a studio cabin!

I don’t know if this is a fire hazard…and I’m certain someone will let me know if it is…but at times there is a space above mini-fridge that is warm and dries smaller items.

I, too, have been perusing Princess and MSC boards since we have upcoming cruises on both, I’ve also been looking at the menus for bar and specialty dining. Princess appears to have robust menus in their seafood and steak restaurants. And I know that MSC has a great selection in their buffets and MDR menus are good, too.

We found the Panoramic elevator in the Aft to rarely be crowded. Sometimes you have it to yourself. It goes from 7 to 16 with stops at each floor. We especially liked it for accessing the buffet on 8. It drops you at the back of the buffet where it tends to be less crowded. Even though our cabin was a little closer to the mid ship lifts, we walked aft to get the panoramic lift.

This was our experience on the Jewel last month. I stated that since NCL can’t downsize the menu much more, they have really started to downsize in other places. The chicken salad sandwich on a whole sandwich was equal to a half sandwich…I guess I saved carbs since I made one decent half sandwich. I could go on and on about where they “saved $$$” by modifying EVERYTHING. I haven’t dumped NCL all the way…but we have 2 MSC and 2 Princess cruises booked compared to 1 NCL. Time will tell.

Have been NCL loyal…and know how to work their transfers, but new to Princess. So, how do you enter your info into the app/website re: airline/flight/time? Do you just pick a time that works with Princess transfer schedule, get to LHR and shuttle/Uber to a nearby hotel?

I’ve been sent to that corner on multiple occasions as well. good to know you can use it in the casino. Do you know if shareholder OBC can also be used in the casino?

Following along as our first Princess cruise is in a few months. If I understand correctly, if hubby snd I both purchase a FCD for $100 each it would be charged to the CC we used. Then, regardless of what Princess offer is for deposits, we can use our 2 certs for full deposit. if we were to book a 7-day balcony cruise we would each get $50 OBC. Assuming I have this right, my question is whether the OBC is refundable or NR. Can you use this OBC in the casino or to pay daily service fee?

Thanks for the clarification. Our cabin is just beyond yours by probably 10 steps on Deck 10. Looks like we might be walking down/up two flights on a regular basis. BTW, I really enjoyed your NYE review.

Wow…so you’re saying that the lifts circled in Post #5 are not used by aft passengers, and the closest lifts to the cabin you had was mid-ship?

Thanks for your answers. We’re staying in an aft cabin on deck 10 in mid-November. We’re hoping for mild to warm ish weather . What deck did they typically disembark on port days?

I watched so many people come up to her the last evening. She knew everyone’s name, they hugged…and they tipped. She really is a standout.

Very true for cruises RT out of Seattle. NCL has decent port times doing either the Northbound out of Vancouver or Southbound out of Seward, Whittier, or Valdez.

Perhaps the buffet crew could consolidate the remaining food items to a station or two to allow the buffet to remain open longer and reduce waste. Call it a Grab snd Go, offer paper plates/utensils. They could still publish Buffet close as 9:30. WBTW, the morning and especially the lunch closing times are way short by at least 30 mins. I definitely shared my thoughts on my NCL survey last week.

Just read the recent posts since returning from the Vancouver-Seward-Anchorage cruise on Monday. This is the first cruise where DH encouraged me to get/fill Vacation Hero cards…since he did watch a YT video which said you should…lol. The staff and crew (mostly crew) were exceptional. We filled out around 9-11 cards. In reflection, most were wine stewards, bar waiters, Bev Mgr., waiters. I guess you could say we like to drink and eat. but, we did go out of our way this cruise to recognize those who made our cruise even more special.

Lol…forgot I even posted that. Yes, I actually agree a Spam fried rice would be tasty. Now, I haven’t read the recent posts…but, don’t be surprised if NCL takes your endorsement to heart for a revised Teppanyaki menu…especially since the strip loin is such an unpopular protein.

Sitting in Anchorage right now. I probably won’t be doing my own post review, but…since you asked…our experience and rating was similar to yours. We also canceled an NCL cruise for February and have booked MSC in the Med in the fall, and Princess next April. We’ll also be looking for other cruise lines to cruise late summer and in Jan/Feb next year. We still have a CF cert so we’re not abandoning NCL all together. Ratings: 5 being best. Embarkation/Disembarkation: 5 Cabin: 2 we were in a CBS under buffet galley (11616) with the sound of running water and rolling carts all day/all night. Location is awesome. Guest service staff: 2. They didn’t care if guests were happy. They use every excuse to minimize your issue and delay resolution. It wasn’t until I said I would be there every four hours for the entirety of the cruise…7 days if that’s what it took. Bar Staff: 5. Almost everyone were efficient, friendly, and seemed to like their job. Dining staff: 3. I think we may have had some newbies so a couple times we got food we didn’t order or they missed items. Food Specialty Dining: 4. Portion sizes keep shrinking. I don’t eat a lot but for those that do, you may need more. LeBistro filet was very gamey tasting and I left it on the plate. They did remove the upcharge. Cagney and LaCucina filet were great. Teppanyaki sirloin was too tough but the shrimp were extra large this cruise. Complimentary Dining: 3.5 We only ate in the MDR twice and one of those nights I ordered the two lobster tails for $25+20%. They were EXCELLENT. My favorite meal the whole cruise. The rest of the menu items were nothing special. Lots of seafood as others have posted. Again portion sizes are smaller, and sauces/dressings have been watered down. Even the size of the wax paper liner in O’Sheehans has shrunk so much your food easily touches the table. If you have cruised NCL frequently, the cutbacks are noticeable. Buffet: 1. The food choices made me feel like it was a school cafeteria. But the 1 rating is due to the awful hours. With the AK itinerary on Jewel, there were so many days where our excursion started early or ended around 2. Early 6-7 am all that’s available is a continental breakfast, and the main buffet closes at 2:30…which is unacceptable IMO. Entertainment: 3. Just nothing above average. Rock performance good, but Broadway Hits flopped. I guess NCL won’t pay the $$ for music rights to any top song. There were very few musicals I could name the songs from. The same average comedian three nights and two movies. Cirque Bijou was canceled due to weather the last night. Why they schedule a cirque show for the night most likely to have rough water makes me scratch my head. NCL Excursions: Bering Sea Crab Tour, Ketchikan: 5. Exceptional. I found myself crying from the stories the crew shared. And the sea life is so remarkable. Discover Whale Watch, Juneau: 3.5. The excursion really is not as described but it was still fun and we did see a few humpbacks. What I didn’t like is we originally booked a whale watch with seafood fest for $239 pp 5 hours long. When we got on board we were told our tour was cancelled and the only available whale watch option was $269 pp, no seafood fest and only 3 hours long. White Pass Rail and Gold Panning: 4. The gold panning was a little hokey, but it was fun to try it. The railroad ride was beautiful as there was new snowfall the previous night. Hubbard Glacier Small Boat: 5++. The up close look to the glacier is the only way to really see a glacier. The cruise ship is about 5 miles away and the small boat gets you 1/2 mile away. I’ll post a pic. Here are a couple of my favorite pics. The last one is one “really really want” to see. Marie says to tell you hello and she misses you! Thanks again for letting me tag onto your story!

Thanks for your report back. I’m sure your info will help a few of us trying to earn more credit. The Entertainment charge reducing your NR OBC is unusual, and that may vary by ship, too. Hope you enjoyed your B2B and whatever cruise you use your meta uograde for!

Currently on the Jewel. I have to say that the menu choices are not as robust as they were when we started cruising in 2021. Each cruise (8 so far) I have noticed changes. While I won’t go hungry, the changes are noticeable and all designed to cut costs. What I’ve noticed on the Jewel is that since they really can’t alter the menu much more, they are now cutting costs in other ways. For example, salad dressings are watered down and tasteless. If you happen to get full strength dressing, the little cups are now 1/4 full. The sandwiches now use 1/2 the filling and spread it across the whole sandwich. The portion sizes have shrunk. Smoked salmon bagels in MDR are now on mini bagels. The serving of breakfast potatoes consist of 4-6 small pieces. The sauces are using low cost ingredients like more flour. The spinach and artichoke dip has very little spinach, no discernible artichoke and is in a flour forward bechemal sauce with little if any cheese. Perhaps someone who doesn’t cook much wouldn’t notice the changes. And…the slots are really tight. I’m enjoying the cruise…heck, we’re on a cruise. The staff and crew are mostly awesome. But…the cuts are noticeable.

We are currently on Jewel on 11616, compliments of a winning upgrade bid. DO NOT, repeat, DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE book a cabin anywhere under the empty space shown on the deck plan. It is definitely under the buffet galley. We have a water noise from the dishwasher running through our cabin wall nearly all the time. You can hear the dishwasher cycling through. And, at night you hear clanks, roller carts, more clanks along with clunks, and pots clanking clunking in the dishwasher….at least until 2 am. I had to be VERY persistent with the “trained clueless” Guest Services team. It took me four visits in the first 24 hours to get an OBC that I felt was satisfactory. It only happened after I said i would visit every 4 hours for the entirety of the cruise until it was resolved. Besides that mishap, the cruise has been very enjoyable.

Happy Birthday Yvonne!! Looks like you had a fun-filled day.

Thanks. If I understand you correctly, after leaving Vancouver and going through the Canadian inside passage we wouldn’t be charged tax.

Thanks. I think out of Vancouver we sail in Canadian waters…which it dawned on me that we may have drink tax. If so, it takes a little of my planned fun away. We’re dining in LeBistro first night and I had planned on getting the most out of FAS+ with Veuve. 🍾🥲🤣

I tried search and couldn’t pinpoint an answer. When on a NCL cruise, Vancouver to Seward and reverse, via Canadian Inside passage, when are you charged tax on alcohol…and how much? We have purchased the FAS+ drink package and I want to be aware of where my higher priced drinks are incurring tax. Also, if you’re in an area where you are being taxed, are you taxed on the “free” bottle of wine you get with your Platinum dinner.