IAcruising

Never. Once someone leaves the ship and goes out on their own, they are assuming complete control of their situation. If something happens to them that is "out of their control", that's the chance they chose to take. The ship and it's 1000's of other passengers have no responsibility to wait because of their bad decision. And we shouldn't wait.

What is this new $20 per day fee of which you speak?

I've never once stepped foot in the spa or gym. A complete waste of space. Should be a smoking whisky bar, obviously.

Like what?

As with any restaurant, you'll get differing opinions. I have avoided it, mostly because I also know what BBQ is supposed to be, and I find it quite unlikely it will meet even a lowered expectation. Besides that, there are so many other specialty dining venues that I don't get often, and are very, very good.

Our son's best friend was so consistent we called it "Willy Time". "I'll be there" meant he wouldn't be. "I'm on my way" meant he was just getting in the shower. "I'll bring the food" meant to order pizza because we might get a bag of chips. It was funny, but sad.

French Dip and a Manhattan in the MDR is my tradition. Never been busy, and never disappointed. I will adding a Blue Moon on my next cruise in April.

Have not experienced that on any ship, including Prima. I have never left a ship and thought, "gee, sure am glad I'm leaving". I don't think I ever will. I always want another week.

Never gonna happen. Oceania club members themselves don't get an OBC or bottle of wine until they've cruised 8 weeks with the line. It's just a completely different animal.

Likely because there is no way to compare Oceania with NCL, and Regent would be even worse. What level on Oceania would you compare to Diamond on NCL?

In order to spill the beans, you need access to the can. No single crewmember has all the information needed to know exactly how crew appreciation is disbursed. How many guests on a particular cruise? (or the 2, 3, or 4 between pay periods) How many guests reduced or cut crew appreciation? How many guests added to crew appreciation? How many crewmembers were on each of the cruises in the pay period? Not an easy exercise.

This would be an excellent email to send to your Travel Agent.

Standard. On our last cruise, while in the waiting area, we received an email saying our bid was still under consideration. Never heard another word.

Do you not understand the difference between what and why? Or are you just confrontational for fun...

Oh, I guess that makes sense. 😆

Wow. Assume much? Be careful. You don't know me or my experiences. Karma is a female dog.

I'll be on the Encore for 21-days in April. If they don't have hashbrowns back yet by then, they darn well better have plenty of my favorite wallpaper paste gravy.

I'm still confused. Are you talking about bidding for an upgrade, or just asking and hoping? Either way, how can anyone compare discrimination to not getting an upgrade on a cruise ship? You seem to have a unique definition of discrimination. This whole discussion seems ridiculous to me.

I assume you're talking about bidding for an upgrade. The bidding rules are quite clear -- you don't get to pick your cabin. No discrimination at all, it's your choice to bid.

I want to try the Bliss, as it has both the OL and Spice like the Joy. Any reason Bliss didn't make your list? I'm thinking Alaska in 2025.

I don't understand what people don't understand about supply and demand. It's a pretty simple concept.

That's a bit of an outlier given all the possible Vibe opportunities, isn't it? One thing for sure, the Vibe would be a very quiet, peaceful place in Alaska in April.

Never been on the Epic, but the whiskey bars on other ships also serve other spirits (gin, vodka, etc), although quite limited as to brands.

While I will never buy it, Mrs. IA would pay triple the price. So, I guess that makes your opinion just slightly above worthless, same as mine. Only the OP can decide.

The Joy will be losing 1/3 of her Observation Lounge and Galaxy Pavilion, if that matters to OP. Encore does not have Spice H2O. That said, switch Joy and Encore and I completely agree with your ranking (including the mattress and canoe).