skittl1321

Just now, cruiser2015 said:

True.

Bur the brochure under discussion didn't bother to use such a phrase, as I quoted it previously.

 What it does have, under the (fine print) asterisk is "available on select sailings and subject to change".

It's the same anywhere that sells something. You go to the department stores, or even grocery store, and the rack says "From $9.99" and half the stuff costs double that. it just means SOMETHING is priced from that.  

It doesn't say every cruise is available from that rate; it just means they sell cruises starting from that rate.

It is a standard tactic for pricing. NCL isn't doing anything more shady here than every retailer ever.

On 10/15/2023 at 4:24 AM, Chaz1137 said:

 

 

Surely in this day and age, there is an algorithm that says we don't like being placed in such noisy areas of ships and here we go again, we are put in a place that makes you regret booking another cruise.

Surely NO ONE wants to be placed in a noisy area like that, right?  Who selects rooms thinking "man, you know what i want, deck chairs!"  ( I was recently on a cruise on another line where i could hear every chord played in the main theater and one of the small cabarets. Enough to identify the song.  During rehearsal, during shows.  Not my favorite cabin, still a fabulous cruise.)  If you book a guarantee (or in my case, the last room available in the category and I didn't want to pay more), expect a high chance it isn't going to be great.  

Otherwise, you need to select your own room.  You can then avoid ship noise, but not passenger based ones. You can get the most expensive cabin on the ship, and still manage to have a noisy child next to you.  Or hey, noisy adults- I personally have preferred the cabins next to crying babies over the ones next to frequent, ahem, adult noise.

On 10/21/2023 at 2:11 PM, ohshin said:

Just trying to get a sense of how safe the library (Voyager class ship) is for a young but mature teenager to be alone (needs to work on a project for school).  I assume it is perfectly OK during a sea day, especially with the teen and family both having access to the internet.  However, on a port day, is it safe or unsafe to leave a teen alone in the library while the family goes on an excursion?

 

Thank you!

My kids are a bit younger than this, but I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving a minor alone on the ship without anyone in the group still there. If you have "family", does that mean 2 parents? Could one stay on the ship?  (I did this with my family at one port, where my son was just not having the kind of day where we could let him go into port, so my husband and daughter went without me. I was sad to miss it, but that's part of parenting to me.)  

If you trust your child to be alone on the ship, you wouldn't even have to be with them the whole day; just there, so if the people on the excursion don't come back; someone is on the ship with the kid!  Take it as a nice day to hang out by the pool, go to the spa, relax, or do all the activities that are usually too full.

As for the library- if your family is on an excursion, I second- why not just use the cabin?  

Typically when they say "Cruises from $$$", that means there is a low deck, forward inside cabin that is available at that rate, and everything else on the ship is going to cost substantially more.

On 10/23/2023 at 8:57 AM, Bella65 said:

I just received the new itinerary for November 1-11 - how sad that they are actually thinking this is the cruise we wanted.

 

 

I doubt anyone at NCL thinks this is the cruise you wanted. 
But the cruise you wanted is now impossible. They can't sail into a warzone.

The fact that the industry can get away with contracts that allow them to change whatever ports they want without compensation (and here they are providing some...) is kind of crazy, but it's the contract we purchase.  Some countries have better protection than others in terms of being allowed to cancel when there are major changes. The US has horrible protections for consumers. That's a government problem.

On 10/15/2023 at 2:39 AM, Elsammo46 said:

Absolutely insane waves overnight. I’ve been in lots of cruises and NEVER have felt anything quite like this. 

I am sold on more October sailings solely for this reason.  Our first sea day on the Oct 8th Encore sailing was insane, and I LOVED it.  The thermal spa was especially hysterical as it was like a wave pool; all the water would drain from the tiny bubble area, and then a massive rush to refill it with every toss of the ship. I felt so bad for the crew with the Sysphean task of squeegeeing the water back to the drains with every waive. 

My least favorite thing about cruise ships is how you don't even feel you are on the ocean. So to feel it, and not even be able to walk a straight line, was like a dream.  (I also felt horrible for how many people were really sick...)

 The on-deck pools were all closed.  

On 10/15/2023 at 6:51 AM, PhillyTravelBug said:

 

 

love this!!! We got a shot of us in front of this whale and someone back home commented, "What a lucky shot!" 

Lucky other tourists didn't continually walk in front of you?  🙂

On 10/19/2023 at 5:59 PM, BirdTravels said:

Assuming that you actually put a real name on the waiver you sign. 

We literally had a shore excursion leader tell us "I need you all to sign this. You can sign Bugs Bunny, I just have to see each person sign"

 

How does the weather in early June compare to early October?  I honestly don't know, but having been on the Encore the week of 10/8- there were people in the pool every day they were open (closed our first sea day due to very rough seas, and glacier bay due to freezing rain.)

I did the water slides after Ketchikan, it was a very very windy, but warm 50 degrees out. (I think that was our warmest day).  The water in the slides have heated water, though they were not open every day, they were open many of them. 

Towels were available poolside, you wrote your cabin number on a clipboard when taking them, but it was not attended when I checked mine out.

On 10/11/2023 at 8:27 PM, Jaworskym said:

I’m sure it’s just for this group of performers. It takes a few weeks to a month of rehearsal before a production like that goes live. I’m disappointed but knew there would probably be some last minute changes for the final sailing of the season 

I was on the 10/8 show, and the replacement cast did 3 shows, at the end of the cruise (two nighttime shows on our glacier bay day, and one in the afternoon before Victoria).
I saw their first and their third show. They were top notch.  

Can't answer why reservations may have been cancelled, but the show is still on the ship.

(As for "can't cancel the night sky" someone else said- well, I mean they kind of can, at least one worth staying out for. It was so cloudy we only saw stars on one night.  But Choir of Man was worth giving up both nighttime and daytime cruise time.)

16 hours ago, sjane39 said:

No refund.  But it just keeps getting worse! So they change the embarkation to Athens, and then Athens again for another day, and today they started protesting in Athens! So, what is NCL going to do now? Change the ports around again!  That’s a rhetorical question

This is international travel.  NCL controls none of this.  
They will change ports to protect their employees, ships, and customers as best they can.

Consider- you could be IN a port, when a war or violent protest starts.  You don't know what will happen and neither does NCL.  They can only make their best decisions for risk management. 

Don't expect compensation from NCL for every inconvience to you. They are just as inconvienced by it. 

On 10/17/2023 at 1:16 PM, RedwingHockeyFan said:

You can still use the drink package for soda and other virgin drinks that you would normally have to pay for without a drink package.

This is absolutely true. There are many ways to use this perk without getting alcohol.

However, anyone considering this, should do a cost analysis.  The $22/day tips are probably more than you are going to spend to just get a soda package and purchase a one-off virgin drink here and there.

4 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

Depending on the ship, there is mini golf, ropes courses, rock climbing walls…

I was on encore. These activities were not available.  There is the galaxy pavillion, for a fee, the laser tag, for a fee, the escape room, for a fee, the go carts, for a fee.

I personally did not feel nickel or dimed, as I didn't want to do any of these things, and that meant I wasn't paying for them in my base fare either.  But the ship was not suitable for my children. 

Maybe I need to research more, or my itinerary just didn't support it, as I didn't see those free activities on any of the ships I was looking at.

26 minutes ago, hallux said:

No it doesn't.  You just have to understand that the smallest table in any of the venues (except Teppanyaki) is for 2 and it makes ABSOLUTELY NO DIFFERENCE if you were to select 1 or 2 when reserving as you're getting the same size table, or if you're in a party of 3 and book a table for 4.

If you read what I said, I said to think of it as booking a table size and not the number of diners.  There were no two-tops left, so I booked for four, despite being a solo.  It got me into the restaurant.  

But the system asks for number of diners, so it does make it difficult for solos to know what to do- because only 1 person is dining.  The system isn't designed to ask what size table you want (which in my case was "wherever you can put me, I don't care, there is just one of me.)   I of course would book for 2 when I could, as that saves more space for others, but if 4 was the lowest choice, then as a solo, I still booked for 4. 

In the MDR, you tell them 1, but they seat you wherever is available (for me, it was typically at 4 tops, not 2-tops, oddly); but in speciality, you have to reserve for the table size, not the number dining.  That's confusing to someone who does not know the system.  When I reserve at a land based restaurant, I tell them I want a table for 1, or 3, or whatever, and the maitre'd determines the size table that will best fit me. NCL makes the diner decide on the table size. 

(And in Food Republic, where there ARE spots for 1 available, it unnecessarily takes up space to have to reserve for 2 when there is only one person, as that could signify to them to seat you at the bar instead of at a two-top, if a reservation for one was an option.)

On 10/17/2023 at 4:48 PM, complawyer said:

luv2kroooz. hate to argue with you on such a minor point, but "quality Broadway entertainment" is really only available in places like Broadway itself, or London's west end theater district. while the cruise shows are nice (some even entertaining) there is really no comparison.

 

Except that NCL was using touring productions in residency; they were licensing shows with a Broadway/West End pro. The actors almost all have credits on broadway and west end. They aren't in house troupes.  It is Broadway quality, just as when Six, Kinky Boots, or Choir of Man tours around the country, it's Broadway quality  (Choir of Man hasn't been on Broadway yet, but is touring, so it's West End quality). These shows are heavily regulated in how they are allowed to be presented.

Having seen many of the shows NCL presents touring and on Broadway, the comparison is very apt. Many times the touring casts were also playing on Broadway at some point.  You typically get bigger above the line names on Broadway, but the quality of the show as a whole is very similar.

Ships used to almost all have two of these shows, and most now have one.  The lack of production shows was really disappointing on NCL.  I'd even go for an in-house troupe.  

As for nickel and diming- I didn't feel like it was required Nickel and Diming, you didn't have to spend anymore than your base fair, but there sure were lots of choices of things to spend money on.  I was on NCL as a solo and didn't pay for most of the extras, but I decided I wouldn't take my kids on NCL. There wasn't enough for them to do that wasn't extra cost, as opposed to the other lines I've cruised where there were many additional activities they would enjoy (golf course, ropes course, etc).

I just finished a cruise as a solo.
For one of my speciality dinners, there were no reservations for 2 left, so I booked for 4.  When I got there I told them it would just be me.   I was sat at a table for 4, and it was no problem. (There were also a lot of sea sick passengers that day...so I just said 'no one else will be joining me', rather than pointing out that the system makes it really hard to book for just one.) 

Think of it as reserving a table, not the number of diners.
 

I had no problem with MDR, speciality restaurants, or the local asking for a table for one.  I also had a pre-reserved specialty dining, was just not hungry, went and cancelled, and then walked in the next day and just asked for a table and was accomodated.

NCL does not ask solos to join group tables, so you will be sat by yourself.

The solo host on encore did have a set 6:30 reservation in all MDRs, and I ate with a group once. They also said at the meetups they could arrange groups to go eat together and would make the speciality reservations.

If you are really social, then the reservation for 2 can come in handy anyway- makes it easy for you to ask someone to join you. 

16 minutes ago, gerry1.10 said:

Hi Skit

When will you embark on the Encore? When you do can you list the officers? We'll be embarking her at the end of the month.

thank you

Embarking on Sunday.  If it is easy for me to find, I'll update them. I have to admit, 6 cruises and I've never paid attention to who the officers are... (Though our last cruise my kids did meet the captain, between him and the dancers, you'd have thought they met royalty.)

4 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

That is hilarious. I can't believe anyone would think a megaship could dock in Rome proper. For heaven's sake. Even Venice no longer allows big cruise ships, you have to go to smaller towns just outside (although cruise lines still bill them as Venice, which is a bit misleading).

I don't think they ever actually thought that though. It's not like they got to the port off guard. They were completely prepared with a plan to get to rome, and a google mapped out trip to go to all the sites (I didn't catch if they were, but I think the video was sponsored by google maps.) It was solely click bait to get people to click.  Which is super annoying, so I'm not at all defending the use of "we were conned" but I don't think there was any point where Ben and David thought they'd be dropped off at Rome. They aren't new to this.

On 10/2/2023 at 5:12 AM, redlock said:

 

We spent most of the morning in the Thermal Suite. I thought it would have been shut but it was open, the water in the pool was moving so much it was exposing all the water jets. The staff were constantly wiping up the water.

About to go on the Encore and they are forecasting rocky weather. I am so nervous the thermal spa will close the pool. The spa was such a splurge for me, and without that pool, I can't see how it will be worth it. 

However, I love ship movement, so as long as the weather is safe, I am looking forward to the motion!

On 10/2/2023 at 8:40 PM, laudergayle said:

@mscdivina2016 you are entitled to your opinion.  Being on an NCL board there is going to be more “WHAT?!?!” comments.  IMO, we recently cruised MSC outside YC and I think NCL needs to take note.  We loved MSC experience/ value even though we were only in a Fantasia Balcony.  The YC is really a consideration, but we’ve not yet gotten to that level of attentiveness…however YC is certainly within our budget.

I booked MSC because it was pretty inexpensive and was ready for a really bad cruise (but a good way to get to the ports).  It was probably our best cruise, after the Celebrity Xpedition, which is really it's own category and not a big ship cruise. MSC blew us out of the water with their service, food, and entertainment.  We were just in regular cabins, not YC.  We will absolutely cruise with them again.

From the board here, it sounds like NCL will be horrible, and I've made a huge mistake, so I am also hoping to find that it is actually quite  fabulous. (Though I'm worried about lack of production shows. For some people, those don't matter, but for me, that makes the cruise.)

18 minutes ago, cpqq said:

 

The person who you replied to was me  😀

 

oops. I'm an idiot. Sorry.

It's clear they did the advanced research on Rome though- they did a fabulous (and cheap) self-tour utilizing the train. It was just a click bait title on the video. 

Haven, I agree, their expectations were just set for a different product. Still, I can see why they might have those expectations when they are paying more than what they have paid for small ship luxury lines. But they were just expecting a totally different product than what NCL offers.  

I highly recommend them though. IMO, they are typically one of the top cruise channels out there. They have only recently gotten into more luxury experiences (likely because they can now afford it as their 'business' is bringing in money for them to do it.)

1 hour ago, cpqq said:

 

The Joy isn't getting a thermal suite until 2024. I think by the time they're finished, while it'll have a Thermal Suite, no rooms that automatically come with it.

 

Good on NCL for honoring existing reservations on this. 

If they already booked them, people aren't losing the benefit. The person I replied to already booked the category.

The Civitavecchia one bothered me, because it seems like it is well known that the port is NOT Rome proper; how could it be, Rome is not a coastal city. That was click bait thumbnail 100%.    (That said, I have a Europe cruise soon, and one of the ports is "Paris", and the actual port is MUCH further from Paris than I thought it would be- looks like nearly 3 hours to get there, I was expected an hour or so; needless to say, we will not be going to Paris, and my daughter is pretty disappointed. I should have done more research, so this Rome video might help people (except since it doesn't say Rome in the title, maybe not...). 

I felt like their Haven review was reasonable, but I've never sailed in the Haven. It did seem like it just did not meet their expectations, and I think it is fair to share that. 

On 10/2/2023 at 12:56 PM, cpqq said:

Article came out before this. I can guarantee that the Joy will not have Spa category rooms, they're removed from the site from boats. 

 

https://www.ncl.com/cruise-ship/getaway/staterooms/spa

 

https://www.ncl.com/cruise-ship/breakaway/staterooms/spa

 

Within the last week they've added on the top right 'Departing before Jan 07, 2024 | Departing on or after Jan 07, 2024'

 

No more Spa rooms on either boats after. 

 

What I'm really curious about is what happens to people like myself who've had reservations for month with H9 (Haven Spa Suite) and M9 (Club Balcony Spa Suite) that have been switched without any notice. 

The letter says that if you had a previously booked spa room, you keep your thermal suite benefit.