drwbrt

@Shawn5since you’re onboard, can you please confirm the hours for the spa? Specifically the thermal spa? Thanks!

Please don’t suggest this. Haha. I’d like it to be as secret as possible. Seriously though, thanks for the live confirmation.

I was worried this was the case. Thanks for the info.

The dining preferences mention the speed of service, can these preferences be combined? Can I have a more traditional dinning (same time and table) and have a faster experience? Also, is there any chance they have figured out how to do a sort of "order ahead" option so that the waitstaff has my selections before we've even sat? I might be interested in such a feature in the MDR but I would REALLY be interested in such a feature at somewhere like Gigi's/Alfredo's.

I've read a lot about some of the other ships having showers available to the spa and fitness center that can be used by any guest. I saw several ships mentioned but never Discovery. Can anyone confirm that there are showers available in the locker/changing room either at the fitness center or the spa specifically on Discovery Princess. Are they at both locations, or just one? Are lockers available?

I like how you cruise.

The only classics were Air Hockey, Pop-a-shot, and Skeeball (Skeeball is for tickets and not included-$1.66 each play). Not really the pinball/pacman variety I think you're looking for.

Sorry for the delay. All five days are posted. Freestyle Daily

Day 5: Ensenada Day 5.pdf

Day 4: At Sea Day 4.pdf

I wish I could buy this for all of you.

I think you dropped this, 🎤.

Link directly above. Adding the other two here in a minute.

Not enough $2 bills.

No...you are wrong here @New2cruise2022. The Local needs a plate. With the drinking that happens on board a plate is perfect. @chillywI was partial to Dog Town for a good plate. Anyone else can check the wikipedia page for Garbage Plates and start judging us hard.

Exactly. Give us some more options.

I've posted the Freestyle Daily here. Thanks for reminding me I need to upload the last of them. I will post that in just a few hours.

I was absolutely joking about sticking my finger in the gravy. I normally just take one lap around the edge. In all serious though, there is a story to tell about liking fingers and cleanliness on the Bliss some time that either @New2cruise2022or I will post. We got our steaks to temp at Cagney's no problem there. I think you have a good suggestion to ask for a center temp, but we didn't have any wait staff with enough experience or language capability to get through that instruction. We've posted about this on a couple other threads, but so many of the crew were first contract or first sailing after vacation. Lots of new, inexperience, or just getting back to it crew.

Spike sounds like a winner. Like @New2cruise2022said, there was Tabasco at some tables at the buffet. I'm sure it is available by request at MDR. It might be on the table at The Local too. We never had too much of an issue with the pepper side, mostly on the salt side if we needed it.

I'd like a table in Taste next to @jbcallenderand friends please.

I am 100% accepting of this. I think it’s smart. I just want them to have a sauce/topping/garnish bar so those that want to bump it up, or play chef, can. Thanks for the confirmation. I’m sad for your jalapeño-picking heart.

We had plenty of good food on the ship, but a little more of spice or that perfect sauce would have made it great and maybe even memorable. @New2cruise2022 makes a more specific criticism in this same area in his post on wings. So much of the food lacked flavor; not entirely and normally not in the wrong direction, but almost always in magnitude. Right or wrong, we decided that this was seasoning timidity. NCL didn’t want to season any dish to the point that it was subject to an opinion by anyone. Generally acceptable seemed to be the bar to clear. Memorable wasn't even a remote target. I wanted more spice, more sauce, more garnish I can add to. I’d love to see a sauce bar in the buffet, a sauce platter or menu in the MDR and specialty. There is good food all over the ship. Really good food in a few instances: the bread at Cagney’s/La Cucina and the creamed spinach at Cagney’s come to mind. If they want to deliver great food, it may be as simple as offering some sauces, garnishes, or flavor upgrades. Example It's a simple thing, but I was able to take the action I wanted to take at breakfast. I'm a sucker for a good sausage gravy in the mornings. Maybe it's that I wasn't introduced to it until very late in life and I felt like I missed out. Maybe it's because I met my wife in a ranching town where a country breakfast was common. I don't know why it started but I love biscuits and gravy or the gravy over some breakfast potatoes. To my surprise and delight, NCL had gravy both in the buffet and the MDR. The first morning I was hesitant, what if it isn't good? I resisted the urge to dip my finger directly into the gravy (there was little chance it was too hot for that) and instead picked up a coffee mug at the beverage station. I added a few spoonfuls to my mug and headed to the front of the ship, where there was always a table. The gravy was good, but not great. I dumped a healthy amount of black pepper and a dash or two of hot sauce I spotted two tables over and gave it a stir. I made one more small adjustment and I was done. Temperature aside, it was the perfect sausage gravy for my breakfast potatoes. I did that every morning. I didn't even mind that I had to do that and it didn't come that way. I recognize my palette is different. It doesn't take much time, and most mornings the only thing on my schedule was a thoughtful walk through the art gallery to prepare myself for the day's auction. People are willing to plus up their food; especially when they get to pat themselves on the back for being unique, hacking the menu, or being culinarily superior to the chef. Give the passengers some seasoning and sauce options, and maybe a salt shaker that works (everyone else have this problem? I had a couple good bi-directional mills from MDR...missed opportunity for a memorable souvenir).

Here in America they have a study saying you should not consumer more than 2,000 calories..... per day.....I think we all get that in a trip around the buffet that ends at the soft serve machine. I vacation maybe once a year and at the current rate cruise once every 20 months. Indulgence feels right 5 out of 600 days.

As a former Rochester resident and regularly frequented Jeremiah's Tavern (IYKYK), I have a high bar for praise but very low expectations for wings. Its just rare to get something spectacular. Getting to good is not hard though. The chicken did most of the hard work. The twice bake and a passable sauce (of which acceptable sauces abound in food service) is all that is needed. There is an opportunity to make a special sauce, but it feels like we are running before hold our head up straight here. The chicken tenders are above average in the buffet, it would seem a sauced boneless is an easy win too.

I never saw Dr Pepper or the diet variety on the ship. @New2cruise2022 tried some Diet Dr Pepper in Ensenada at the 7-Eleven and was VERY disappointed.