shipgeeks

Five NCL cruises doesn't seem like a lot to me, unless they were really long ones. Did that give you a significant loyalty level with NCL? When we applied for our status match, we had done eleven Celebrity cruises and 16 RC, most of which were fairly long.

We've been pining over that cruise plus the 4-day that follows. We loved Seaside just before the lockdown (did 7+7 night B2B). The only thing that's stopping us these days is having to fly. All our cruises this year have been from Baltimore, which we can get to by road in a few hours. Now if only they would put Armonia in Baltimore, we'd be aboard multiple times every year.

Interesting........I have seen tuna salad sandwiches on RC, in Park Cafe, which has a small selection of pre-made sandwiches, and a few paninis which they will toast upon request. They are wrapped for carrying to the pool or elsewhere, with no sides (pickles and such).

We went to the restaurant, at leisure, and booked it there.

The mushroom risotto, for example.

To confirm my earlier suspicion that fries and ketchup should never go together, I tried it on my recent cruise. I had fries in the MDR, and there was a little bowl of ketchup on the side. I dipped one fry, popped it into my mouth.......and found that the combination was even worse than I expected. Just awful. But that's just me. It's interesting how we all have different tastes.

We've sailed on Enchantment four times this year. All our mattresses were fine; slept like logs every night, woke with no aches and pains.

We sailed on Enchantment four times this year, all eight or twelve nights. They had lobster on the second formal night every time.

I, for one, hope they never become more Americanized. We found the MSC shows very entertaining. On the other hand, we have stopped going to the shows on other lines. I never again want to hear a performance of "I..I..I..I...will always love you..oo..oo" or "We will we will rock you".

On our most recent Enchantment cruise, we were in CL during the day, enjoying the peace and quiet, when the door opened and two couples walked in. The noise level shot up, and it became apparent that one couple were bringing non-D friends in. Ongoing calls across the room about the sandwiches, cookies, beverages, then all repeated, urging the visitors to take some more. Then the guests came close to breaking the coffee machine through unfamiliarity, then the door, due to unfamiliarity, and perhaps the thrill (or nervousness?) of being in someone else's private club. IMO, admittance is an earned privilege, not to be abused.

In 1969 I sailed from NYC to Sydney, Australia on a 12-passenger German cargo ship. The food choices were limited, but still far above what I would normally eat at home, with hot, meat-centered meals at lunchtime as well as at dinner. All very nice, but we did get tired of it, so eventually asked if we could have a meal of crew food instead. We were given big bowls of split pea soup for one meal, then back to the standard menu. When we finally got to our first Australian port, several of us set off with the goal of finding a pizza shop.

Just a heads up that there are ships on which no show bookings are ever made or needed, such as Enchantment. If you are sailing on such a ship, don't panic that you can't make bookings. You just show up onboard for whatever show you want.

Mine are very lightweight, similar in feel to an athletic running shirt. One of mine is snug, one is a bit looser. I wore the looser one in the water, and when I came out it felt clammy. I'll keep it for just being outdoors, and the snug one if I go in the water. I see a lot of crew members wearing them now; I'm happy that the cruiselines are supplying them. Pool guards, outdoor bar staff, tender crew, etc. Also lots of children wearing them at pools and beaches.

I will be wearing long, gauzy bell-bottom/palazzo pants and a light tunic top. At our private island I will wear a long-sleeve rashguard, and will probably keep it on all day.

Every cruise I have been on this year, I can't help but notice that the light green window is different from the clarity of an open window, and a green window on top of another green window is absolutely obvious next to an open window. I'm sad every time I walk through pool deck.

Enchantment's library was open and fairly well stocked in September.

My dentist had the new air filtration system installed so she could open again after lockdown. The air feels different to me when I go there. Maybe chillier, maybe moving more? Now every time I cruise, the air feels that way. I probably can't pin it down, it's just different. (Also, I trust my dentist and her staff.)

The journal that I write every day of every cruise.

Much too early to see any excursions, I would imagine.

OP, How far does your cruise go? If only as far as Halifax, for example, it will probably be milder than if you go all the way to Quebec or Montreal. We have done several that went only as far as Saint John or Halifax. We wore only long pants. Layers on top, with options including light shirt, fleece, cotton jacket, light wool or cashmere pullover, rain jacket. I had a down jacket on my "maybe" list, but ended up not taking it and not needing it. But I wore it all the time when we sailed as far as Montreal.

It is my understanding that buying on an island, esp in a "RC recommended store", will be reported to RC just as buying onboard is, with subsequent Ding Ding. However, I still do not see that there was any humiliation/rudeness/trauma involved in this incident, just a perception of such by the OP. Having been through a Ding Ding ourselves, with the delay in disembarkation, I can state that there was no humiliation or other negative aspect involved, only curiosity, as the Security person would only say "No idea what it is about; go and fix it".

No, we were not told. All that Security would say was "I don't know. You cannot leave the ship. You have to go back and see someone at Guest Services."

I agree with so many of Hank's comments. We, too, prefer late seating, and we like a leisurely meal with lots of conversation, and time to enjoy and digest several courses. I was disheartened to read a recent post bemoaning the fact that dinners are taking 45 minutes to an hour! Many people said that length of time is just not acceptable. We had a conversation with a favorite waiter recently. She stated that she does not like serving on the Anytime Dining floor. We moved from set dining that cruise in order to be with her. We had her excellent service, but the overall atmosphere was just different, and not in a good way. I agree, and have told others, that the waiters are not mind readers. Those who want to be in and out quickly can say so; the rest of us can make it clear that we aren't in a hurry. When we have that, we do consider it Dining.

OP, You lost me when you stated on the previous page that your son was "led by his nose". Exaggeration, maybe? What else has been exaggerated? As I stated earlier, we, too, have been stopped by Security, and sent back to fix a problem. It was not humiliating. I doubt that anyone else departing the ship even notices things like this; they are only concerned with their own departure. If "humiliation" is the problem, then there is not a problem.

See #84.