david_sobe

Your room steward removed it when you complained the toilet paper roll was put on the wrong way.

Here is what they do to the cabins on embarkation day: Take off all sheets and bedspread. Make the bed with fresh linens Vacuum the carpet Empty trash and remove trash Mop the bathroom floor Clean toilet Clean shower and sink For those that want or demand a deep cleaning of vacuuming under the bed, sterilizing all hard surfaces, and sanitizing the cabin please do not show up to embark until 7pm. That means no embarkation day lunch and maybe no dinner. The cabins are cleaned more thoroughly than most hotel rooms after a guest leave. However those checking for dust bunnies behind the head board and other remote places will have to wait to board until 7:30 pm. But I don't want to hear anyone complain. Even if this did happen there STILL could be a possibility of a razor left in a shower caddy. And if it did you can hunt down your room steward and make him/her walk the plank. Now are you happy?

It is a weak argument and almost a false premise because of a shaving razor left in a shower caddy means the room or bathroom was not cleaned. You know when a room is not cleaned. Do you see soap scum on the shower door? Hair clippings in the sink? Sand on the carpet? The bed not made? Room smells? Its a ridiculous argument to make such an allegation because a sponge was left in the shower caddy. Room stewards leave those personal items alone when they clean rooms every day. Ok they had a brain fart on disembarkation day and left them in place. If this is what you have to complain about on your cruise how can any of you be happy?

Seriously? You have to lower the bar that low. Good grief! Look over there.......a fuzz ball on the carpet. Go demand your OBC.

I bet you would be running to the front desk asking for OBC if housekeeping cleaned your room and threw away your sponge and shaving razor. When you clean hundreds of rooms per week these things happen. You're excited to get hardworking crew in trouble over a freaking sponge. Good for you!

I have found socks under the bed. I once found a plastic mouthwash bottle full of smuggled alcohol in a dresser drawer. Unfortunately with how much needs done and cleaned during disembarkation and embarkation things like a sponge or shaving razor could be over looked. While not great, I dont think it would reflect on how clean the room was. I have never seen dirty sheets and every disembarkation I have seen all the sheets are ripped off the bed. There is a difference between cleaning and deep cleaning. Can you clean your shower and bathroom and leave a sponge or razor in the shower? I think so. We have a difference of opinion. I simply would throw those items away. Calling the hotel manager over a sponge is a bit extreme IMHO. But I respect your right to do so. If I see dirt in the bathroom or smell something I will call housekeeping. I used to follow a certain cruise channel and this guy made such a big deal because while he was staying in the cabin one day the room steward did not empty the bathroom basket. It had some kleenex in it (from himself). He made such a big deal that I unsubscribed from his channel. I have seen how they vacuum and rip these rooms apart. Small abandoned items does not equate to a dirty room IMHO. But to each their own. I suppose when they clean the shower every day with people in the cabin they are mentally trained not to touch the passenger's razor and sponge. This force of habit could explain why he or she missed them this morning.

I can only speak from personal experience. Bags arrive relatively fast on all the NCL cruises I have taken. I don't find them necessarily arriving faster in the Haven. Perhaps someone else has a different experience. There is always that one bag that seems to arrive later than all the rest no matter what. IMHO those Haven tags look fancy but don't mean a whole lot. But we would need NCL baggage handlers to comment to know for sure.

I think you meant to say staying in Haven proper does not mean you spent more money? However I am comparing apples to apples. A Haven penthouse vs forward penthouse. They each have approximately the same balcony and one bathroom. The aft suites are larger, have a completely different balcony and have another bathroom.

I have also stayed in a forward Penthouse on Getaway outside the Haven. The experience convinced me to get back to Haven proper. It was such a long walk everywhere and felt like an outsider in the Haven. But the Haven on Getaway is an after thought which is another story. The sundeck is horrible and the restaurant so tiny. Its almost not worth it.

I think some of the mix up is NCL calling the suites outside the Haven, Haven suites. They do get access to the Haven which I understand why. However IMHO being outside the Haven while having Haven access is not the same IMHO. But they are so much cheaper its not like anyone is being ripped off. If you booked with a TA then I would definitely address it with them. But they did not lie in selling you a Haven suite. I can see how its confusing. Would you have spent $2000 more to stay inside the Haven? If its a spa suite then you have access to the spa which is a HUGE perk that people staying inside the Haven do not have. Its the glass half full approach.

If these are your complaints so far you are on track for a miserable cruise. There is no such thing as priority luggage. I have sailed Haven and non-Haven cabins and never found the luggage arrives earlier in the Haven. Those Haven tags may make people feel special though. Just because you are in the Haven does not mean you get to run on to the ship. Its boarded in an orderly fashion and in groups from the Haven. You need a Haven escort to jump the lines that will bottleneck through the process. NCL does not stop the boarding process until all Haven passengers are boarded. There will be plenty of non-Haven passengers who got there really early and were in the first boarding group. I have waited in the Haven lounge with families with lots of kids with complicated passports. I sit there impatient too while I see hoards of people boarding the ship. This happens at every port and every ship. This is reality and should not have any impact on your cruise. You can always find odd things under the bed or a sponge in the bathroom that were left behind and not removed during the cleaning process. This again happens at every embarkation on every ship. This is not a rough start. Its a typical start. Now go have a great cruise. The Encore has an incredible 3 deck Haven. Soak it all in. Just because you got on the ship 15 minutes later than you expected is not a rough start.

Thats another good story about the NCL PCC who left their position for a promotion but still was able to book your friend at the same price even though the prices went up. Perks booking directly with the cruise line are rarely mentioned.

NCL calls them Personal Cruise Consultants (PCP). I am in the tiny minority on these boards and book directly with the cruise line. I have been using the same PCP since 2008. Ironically I got her cold calling NCL for my first NCL cruise. She has worked there forever and knows everything. When I booked my Aqua cruise during Xmas, she was out but actually called me from her house on her day off. She monitors emails on her days off. How about that for service. Any changes or questions I just email her and she responds. However I think my situation is rare. Many PCPs are entry level and are new hires that may not understand everything or have remotely the same experience she has. When I booked Epic in 2010 I cold called and was routed to the NCL call center in Arizona and this person did not know anything. That is when I came back to my original PCP. Most vent their frustrations at the PCPs that are not that knowledgeable. This is why many book with travel agents. I think I am in the minority who has been working with the same PCP for over 15 years now. I suppose its a crap shoot who answers the phone.

I would imagine this summer there will be lots of news. We just have to let our imaginations run wild for now.

Exactly. Both sides over-reacted poorly. The issue I have is the video is edited. We never see or hear what the cruise line said to them. How can anyone bash or criticize a cruise line for what they said when we never hear what they said. Yet almost everyone if falling for that. It was overly dramatic to leave a cruise while still at sea. Clearly done to get more views and more money because of it. But the worst part for me is they got a personal meeting with the cruise line over this. Are they royalty? People suffer far more on a cruise than those 2 and would never get a face to face meeting with a cruise line. There is a big bunch of arrogance about that IMHO. But I will say BOTH sides were wrong in their over-reactions. Yet the cruise vloggers everywhere are treating them as victims as if they were forced to walk the plank in the Artic. Come on people, its not like they were forced to find hash browns or cookies or something while diverting from Paradise Bay. Mark it on your calendars. If I cant find cookies on my February 2026 Aqua cruise, I will leave the ship in Tortola and live stream on my Youtube channel that has 8 spam subscribers. Since I live in Miami, I will drive to NCL headquarters and get a personal meeting with the CEO and report back. Stay tuned!

I remember back in 2009 that one of the biggest perks of a specialty restaurant was how tranquil it was compared to the MDR and buffet. Tables were spaced apart and during your meal there would be empty tables around you. Besides the increase in food quality it was worth the price just for the experience. Once NCL started building Breakaway and beyond they started cramming more and more tables into the specialty dining. The tables for 2 are so close together that you are literally sitting next to another couple inches apart. Then came the "free" at sea promo which gives everyone access to specialty dining. My last cruise on Encore, Cagneys was so crowded that they had to put about 8 tables outside the restaurant into the Mix bar area. The experience has completely changed. Specialty dining is actually more crowded than the MDR at some times.

Very true. But the thread is not about IF anything we pay in gratuities is paid to crew. I met an older couple on my first cruise that cruised all the time. They told me the first thing they do every cruise is remove the auto gratuities at the customer service desk. They gave cash to all the room stewards, waiters, etc. that served them. Your premise could be true, NCL is ripping us all off and especially Haven passengers who pay more gratuities than anyone. But that's another thread.

I am surprised that no one mentioned that Haven guests pay a higher auto daily gratuity fee than other passengers. With the increased DSC the Haven staff such as house keeping, waiters, and bartenders better get the DSC. The Haven rooms are made twice per day compared to the rest of the ship. We can assume this increase in fees covers this additional work. The only members of the Haven team that are not part of the DSC pool is the concierge team and butlers.

This thread reminded me that its the 40th anniversary of "Where's the beef?"

People steal the craziest things. I was a store detective when I was in college and they would teach you there were 2 types of thieves: The professional who goes to the store to purposely steal things and the spontaneous thief who just thinks no one will notice or care and takes something relatively small. People steal the dumbest stuff. In my first apartment I used to have a pair of flip flops outside my door to take the trash out. Old, worn and just used to walk to the trash bin. Someone stole them. You would be amazed how many little lawn ornaments are stolen from people's yards all the time. Someone drives by, admires it and then just takes it. As they say: If its not locked down someone will steal it. Sadly the same is for cruise magnets 🥺

Wow. NCL is forcing us to become vegetarians. No hash browns, no cookies, no beef 😲

Its nice if they show empathy but they have an entire section devoted to this. You realize how many calls and bag issues they deal with on a daily basis? We all look for empathy but I would rather they find my bag than hold my hand and cry with me.

She works hard for the money so you better treat her right!

Keep us posted if your luggage is ever found. They are not supposed to give you compassion but are enabled to find your bag. This is not the first time they had to deal with such a situation and they have experience in locating lost bags. This never happened to me on a cruise ship but has happened a few times at airports. The worst feeling in the world is waiting for your luggage at the carousel and it stops and everyone from your flight is gone and you are standing there alone with no luggage. The airline has always found my bag and delivered it to me the next day. Keep us posted.

I applaud NCL for keeping it open on port days.