WorkingForOBC

17 hours ago, rncruiser said:

Voyager and Freedom have a decent sized pool, there are covered areas if you want to avoid the sun, and open areas if you want to sunbathe. Because they are not glass-enclosed sound does not get amplified. There is also no need for children to pass through.

The solariums on Voyager and Freedom class ships are aft of the forward stairs. This means that any kids and families using the forward stairs/elevators to get to the pool deck and windjammer will walk through the solarium. There's no reason to linger (since there's no bistro or park cafe), but there will be plenty of families and children passing through.

2 minutes ago, WisconsinFan said:

Please don't come to Wisconsin. Our kids all sit at high top chairs at the bar while we wait for our fish fry, pizza or burgers- or a table in the bar where we can eat. It isn't a novelty to see kids in the bar at and gasp, sitting at the bar. My kids (now grown) took a ride on the rising tide bar enjoying a soft drink. Got to the top, with drink finished we got off.

Yes! I was waiting for an excuse to post this

https://www.revenue.wi.gov/Pages/FAQS/ise-atundrg.aspx

1 hour ago, Sizzlechest said:

 

It's literally called the "Rising Tide Bar." The whole thing is a bar. And for the record:

 

Age Restriction

21+ on sailings from North America, 18+ on sailings from South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

 

Obviously, it's not enforced.

Given that reasoning, I guess they shouldn't allow kids in Playmakers "Bar" & Arcade too. For the record, it also lists the same:

AGE RESTRICTION

21+ on sailings from North America, 18+ on sailings from South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

Clearly the listed age restriction is only in reference to consuming alcoholic beverages.

8 minutes ago, jam19872016 said:

Do any cruises stop there?

It's a little far from Boston for a port day, but now that Bar Harbor is limiting cruise guests, other Northeast ports are stepping up. I've even seen some calling on Martha's Vineyard... Hyannis might be able to handle a cruise ship... You never know?!!!

8 minutes ago, jam19872016 said:

How random that they showed up here.

Here's the cup in it's natural habitat, a long with it's iced coffee cousin.

I think you now need to find a way to visit the actual store!

10 minutes ago, jam19872016 said:

They ran out of the regular cup they use and this is what they sourced. I didn't even know that was a real place 😂.

Wow! That's crazy. It's a great bakery/candy shop/coffee shop on Cape Cod. I've been going there since I was a kid, and now I'm taking my own kid.

https://hotchocolatesparrow.com/

On 11/3/2023 at 2:04 PM, jam19872016 said:

 

 

I've followed your quest for the whale tail from here, there, and back. I'm finally dropping in just to say how geeked out I am to see your Chocolate Sparrow mug. We stop in there a few times every summer!

47 minutes ago, quilter49 said:

I need clarification.

So, if I book an NCL cruise with Free at Sea promotion, I should expect to pay:

$20 a day for drink tips

$20 a day for room steward

$20 a day for specialty dining 

That is $60 a day and only 2 meals in specialty restaurants for the week? Is this correct? 

 

No. The specialty dining is not a daily charge. You are only charged 20% gratuity for each meal based on the package price. It is a one time fee.

Feel free to do what you wish with this compliment, but I think your husband has a great eye, and I'm enjoying his compositions. 

Also, really looking forward to the rest of your report!

@Sean224 Loving your play-by-play!

They actually changed the scheduled departure time from Bermuda for this single sailing (embarkation from Boston on Aug 18th) many months ago. I'm not sure if they ever provided a reason for the alteration in the regular schedule.

This is the final NCL Boston to Bermuda run for the 2023 season.

12 hours ago, MiniJeffrey said:

 

So the Veuve was included then in Le Bistro? You could drink all night Veuve by the glass if you wanted with the P+?

When dining in Le Bistro on the Pearl, July 28 - Aug 4 2023, with the P+ package, Veuve was easily ordered, and refills were offered whenever our glass emptied. The first night we dined at Le Bistro, we started with Veuve, but chose to switch to a red to pair with the filet. The second night that we dined there, my wife and I shared the duck and the sole as our mains. We asked the wine steward for a wine rec, and he simply suggested to "keep it fancy," and said the the Veuve would be a good choice for both dishes, so he opened up a second bottle for us, and kept it flowing. With our dessert that night, we finished with a port and espresso.

I'll also agree that it's crazy a brut isn't offered in any of the bars or other restaurants. However, if you enjoy a rosé, then the Pommery or Le Kool (and the gang) are pretty decent offerings.... Or, to be honest, I've certainly been happy drinking worse. That being said, I do understand that there are people who dislike rosé, and so these are poor substitutions as the only sparkling p+ options.

We're just off the Pearl. In Magnum's, we were served both Pommery rosé and Le Kool rosé (which is actually  a pretty pricey bottle). We enjoyed both since we went in with the expectations that only a rosé would be available. Of course, it's mind boggling that they don't offer a standard brut,  but if you go in with the proper expectations, you can still enjoy a pretty nice glass of rose.

We ate at Le Bistro twice (the food was fantastic both times). The first night we went through a bottle of Veuve during our apps and soup/salad. Then we shared a bottle of the chateau neuf du pape, as we both chose the filet rossini. The second night, we ordered a little lighter, and our wine steward kept the Veuve flowing all night. We were served by the glass, however the wine steward kept "our bottle" chilled nearby.

We also had a fantastic time at Maltings. The bartender was our favorite, and we enjoyed blind tastings of many bourbons and whiskeys. Once our bartender trusted us, he even mixed in The Macallan Quest, Terra, and Enigma.

If you can adjust expectations, and if you don't have very specific requirements, there's still a lot of value to be found, and a lot of fun to be had.

I'm booked on Anthem out of Bayonne in February 2024. The original itinerary included a stop in Miami before returning to Bayonne. As @xtremegk stated, this led to a customs s**tshow last year. Shortly after that debacle they dropped the Miami port stop.

Of course the subject line to this email read: "An exciting update to your itinerary!"

Of course the cruise lines are consistent in being inconsistent :⁠-⁠)

Thanks for sharing your experiences as a travel agent. It's very helpful.

@Rollin Tide as a travel agent, would you be able contact the cruise line to move your client's booking in to their preferred cabin (even if you don't see it within your system, but it is available on the cruise line's site)?

Or would your client be able to contact the cruise line to move their cabin on their own (or will the cruise line only deal with the booking agent for a matter like this)?

Thanks! Appreciate your insight.

21 hours ago, NengEuis said:

Update from the Pearl. Onboard with P+ and have only found Prosecco at every bar.  Magnums has “one bottle” of Pommery Rose. Nice bartender Jim says “I have no idea what is going on, we’re the Champagne Bar!”. In Spinnaker, they don’t have Pommery Rose…in fact when I ordered it he says “ok Prosecco?” It’s the only Sparkling Wine/Champagne on the P+ menu. Umm..no. So I ask for La Crema. They have none. I ask for the other P+ Chardonnay (Terrazas) and he has to go searching for it. I don’t really want Chardonnay but I don’t really drink any other whites. Anyway, I drink Hendricks at home so I’ll probably give up grapes this cruise. Eating at LeBistro tomorrow and will have many Veuves, since that’s the only place you can get it…I hope! 🤞🏼 

@NengEuis Thanks for the (disappointing) report from the Pearl. I'd love to hear updates as your trip progresses. I hope you find a good bar, or bartender who can hook you up.

There is no dinner served at Cabanas; that includes buffet, sit-down, or otherwise.

The pizza stand and grill stations are open most of the day and evenings, but all of the options may not be open all of the time. I think since the pizza stand is the "late night" option, it may close down during normal dinner times. It will also depend on the ship and the itinerary.

Room service is still free, and it's always available as an option :⁠-⁠)

Thanks for the trip report. 

I guess you didn't get get off the ship in Bar Harbor? How was the customs process? Did you hear of any excessive issues/problems?

Looking forward to your final thoughts :⁠-⁠)

1 hour ago, BunnyHutt said:

$50 off each excursion? Really? I haven’t booked excursion for my September cruise yet but I was under the impression that it was only a one-time credit. Pleasantly surprised if I am wrong. ☺️

I can confirm that it's applied to every single excursion, even multiple excursions at the same port in the same day. If you get the FASUP+ package, then it's applicable for the second passenger as well.

1 hour ago, Tree_skier said:

 

It will work and I have taken advantage of it in the past.  It shows on your cruise folio as

Club Royale but when your folio is cleared at the end of the cruise it all shows up as Royal Caribbean.  Sea below...

 

 

 

My Folio from Navigator earlier this year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As it appears in my Amex account online after the cruise

 

 

 

 

Awesome. I'm glad to see that it worked out. Very valuable information!

42 minutes ago, alexgtp said:

Does anyone know...

 

If I charge the 1K while on board in the casino! Will it be billed as Royal Caribbean or as name of the ship?? 
 asking because:
While on Harmony for NYE we charged dinner and it was billed on CC statement as "Harmony of the Seas", On the same CC we also booked a cruise and the deposit was billed to CC as Royal Caribbean.

Just curious what adding money to your seapass card for casino is billed as. 

Unfortunately my cruise is next month and final payment was made in March and we had already booked our drink package and dining( for some great prices, so canceling them and rebooking does not make sense). So currently I do not have any additional spend with RCL for the year, as we are doing other cruise line for NYE.

Yes this is a great deal as you would need to spend 20K for 20K point or 4K in hotel and or airfare to get these points. So for me the 1K spend makes sense. 

I'm pretty sure that won't work, as I think it will be similarly billed to the ship.

However, I do think that you can purchase $1000 worth of on board credit (in advance of the cruise), and then have it refunded in cash at the end of the cruise.

We're all pulling for you! 

35 minutes ago, robmtx said:

Do you still get the 1:1 redemption offer for "cash"? 20,000 pts for me now is a lot less than $200 on most things, unless I get a Darden gift card. 

 

And we both for the offer today here which is nice because I just had the offer back in Dec too 

Yes. We also had the offer last fall. At this point we'll be close to saving 20% on our upcoming cruises.

Yes. You can get a statement credit (essentially cash), at the rate of 1 point per 1 cent.

Gift cards are definitely a terrible use of points.

Generally you don't ever want to use points to buy anything directly through AMEX.

Usually you get the best exchange rate by transferring the points to a frequent flier program to buy flights with miles.

Also there are tons of resources (much more knowledgeable than I am) out there on how to get the best redemption rates with Amex membership rewards points.

6 minutes ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

If it's non-branded, what are the points good for?

 

I amended my initial post.

For me, I will receive AMEX membership rewards points. These can be used simply as a credit for your bill (1point = 1cent), or to book other travel through AMEX. But you get much better value by transferring the points to various airline partners.