Barb Nahoumi

I would rather find cookies in my room when I check in, than chocolate covered strawberries.  Neither DH or I like chocolate covered strawberries, so they go to waste.

My husband is platinum and I am sapphire, so our laundry is free.  That's the best perk of all.

On 4/17/2024 at 7:41 AM, dmwnc1959 said:

That's actually pretty cool! I don't suppose you get to keep the basket lol? 

Probably not.

On 4/24/2024 at 7:08 PM, julig22 said:

Or maybe cut back on the # of cookies they include with room service - that seems to be where the "waste" is coming from. I saw 2 different leftover cookie plates in the corridor on my latest cruise - looks like a plate is at least a dozen cookies. Make it 6, if someone wants more, they can request a supersize.

Good idea.  

I remember taking a bus from St. George to Clearwater Beach.

Some people get left behind when they fail to return to the ship on time.   I'm sure that the authorities are notified when this happens.

Food and Beverage director and the Housekeeping Executive are the ones you need to speak with while you are on the ship.  Don't wait until you go home.

3 hours ago, Ellis1138 said:

 

Yeah, seriously. Most of the time, it's at least edible or recognizable. One night, I ordered the NY Strip off the classics on the Pride of America (I should have known better). It was so awful, tough and overcooked that I said if it was a NY Strip, it must have been 10th Ave and 39th Street.

The last time that I had the New York Strip Steak, it was so tough that I could not chew it.  However, the steak that I had in Cagney's was absolutely perfect.  This was on the Joy. 

On 4/22/2024 at 10:44 PM, fredflint said:

Well with everyone having a free drink package having fewer bartenders lowers the cost.  🙂

Probably someone who tipped him well.

On 4/22/2024 at 8:18 PM, BirdTravels said:

So far, not having polka music sounds like a plus. 

 

The weather crossing the Atlantic in winter (or at any time) can be hit or miss. During our last TA, we went through a storm and got hit by a rogue wave, causing the ship to roll. All of the glassware in the cabins went flying. The poor cabin stewards spent most of the night cleaning up broken glass. 

 

Embarkation sounded long, but there was no explanation on why it was long. On our cruise last month, there was a full blown coast guard / health inspection of the ship before it when on a 21 day crossing from Miami to Seattle. 

 

Not sure what the shops should have for a TA. T-shirts with pictures of the ocean? You're not going to stock merchandise for a one-off cruise. And the shops are not run by NCL, they are run by a private vendor. 

 

Roast pig being an "exotic dish" tells me a lot. 

Yeah, Tee shirts with the NCL LOGO, and the name of the ship, with a picture of the ocean and some fish.  That would be cool.  I'd buy one.

We could leave comment cards with guest services saying that passengers want cookies, and not to reduce or discontinue them.  Maybe the cruise line will listen.  I hope that they do.

I hope that there will be cookies on the Jade this year.  We will be on her.

On 3/26/2024 at 4:05 PM, Rick&Jeannie said:

Towel animal?

Hey Hey, We,re the Monkees.

From what I heard, the Viva & Prima ships are smaller than the megas, but they crammed to many venues on them, and they are too small.  That's why we prefer the Jewel class ships.  Yes they have fewer venues, but they are large enough to accommodate without crowding.   We also enjoyed the JOY, and would sail her again.

23 hours ago, dacf said:

We are wanting to sail the Mediterranean/Greek Islands in 2025.   We're used to dining on other ships with our fixed dining times.   This means same table, same table mates and same waiters throughout the cruise.   We really enjoy this because there is no waiting to be seated, you just walk right into the dining room and go to your table.  We get to meet and develop friendships with our table mates and a relationship with out waiter.  I understand that NCL does not do this but instead does just the anytime dining.   What is it like on NCL?  Are you waiting to be seated 10 min, 20 min or 30? or do you need to make reservations each night?

NCL  has Freestyle dining, which means that you can dine where you want to, when you want to, and with whom you wish to sit.  That said, you should make reservations as soon as possible for the specialty restaurants.  When we go to the MDR, the wait is never too long.  We get a table for 4.

We have always seen veggie items on the MDR menu,  sometimes we tried them, although we are not vegetarians.

At the Meet and Greet, one of the officers said that NCL does read Cruise Critic to find out what the passengers' thoughts are.  So, I will say bring back the cookies and keep them coming.  

On 2/18/2024 at 5:26 PM, cruiser2015 said:

Just a bit surprised they only gave you a half - I assume in the MDR.

At the buffet, you automatically get the whole one.

They are not bagel shop size, but not bad (a whole one). Slightly bigger than the English muffins.

About the size of a Lenders Bagel.

11 hours ago, graphicguy said:

I'm debating about whether to do a live review.  Not sure, yet.

 

I looked at the GEM cruise, too.  I love the GEM.  But, I had never sailed the Joy previously.  So, that tilted it to the Joy.

 

Would love to hear your impressions of the GEM, too!

If I had my choice of the Gem or the Joy it would be a hard decision.  I like both ships.  The Gem has the Great Outdoors which is an out door part of the buffet.  It has two pools, whereas the Joy only has one.  

There is more entertainment on the Joy, such as the Cavern Club where we watched "The Beatles" perform.  In Q there was a vintage Broadway performance.  In the theater, we had 2 great shows.  I'm not sure if the Gem still has song and dance shows.  Magicians and lousy comedians don't interest us, if that was they reduced it to.  Since the Gem sails from Boston, we will sail on her.

Heels hurt my feet to I always wear dressy flats and sandals.

On 9/25/2023 at 11:19 AM, jsn55 said:

That's another point ... if you've maintained your own large pool, you know how delicate the chemical balance needs to be.  You wouldn't get me into a public pool or hot tub for any reason whatsoever.  I mean, they take BABIES in there, ugh.

NCL does not allow diapered unpotty-trained babies in their pools, although they do get in.  There is signage to that effect near the pools.  Even swim diapers are not allowed.

Please keep us informed as to whether the passengers were able to reboard the ship at the next port.

23 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

"...eight guests who were on the island on their own or with a private tour missed the last tender back to the vessel,..."

 

I've taken excursions that were booked through the cruise line.

I've taken excursions that were not booked through the cruise line.

 

I've been late returning to the ship while on a cruise line's excursion.

I've never been late returning to the ship while on a "non cruise line's" excursion. 

 

If an over-priced cruise line's excursion comes with the assurance that the ship will wait (up to a point) if I am late, I'll pay the extra...especially since I can use OBC to pay. 

We only book the ship's excursions for this very reason.  However, since the passengers were driven back to the ship while it was still there, the captain should have let them reboard.  

On 3/29/2024 at 8:25 PM, Biffire said:

We signed up for a November Cruise, with free DSC, I asked our TA and she said it was a promotion from NCL. Not sure how it affects the cruise line employees. First time we have ever had this option, it does appear on our invoice from the TA.

On 3/29/2024 at 8:25 PM, Biffire said:

We signed up for a November Cruise, with free DSC, I asked our TA and she said it was a promotion from NCL. Not sure how it affects the cruise line employees. First time we have ever had this option, it does appear on our invoice from the TA.

Hopefully, the cruise line will take care of the employees.

On 2/4/2024 at 12:17 PM, www3traveler said:

Just saw on another social media website that Staff Captain Robert Hammerin has recently been promoted to Captain.

That makes TWO NCL Captains in the Hammerin family.  Robert's father is Gunner Hammerin.

 

WOW!!  Congratulations to both of you.

Good to know.  I saw an episode of Mighty Cruise Ships, in which Captain Carl Gunnar Hammerin was Captain of the Joy.