luv2kroooz

Yep, so much to do with itinerary. We are booked in an 11 day in April. The longer cruises that don't fit into a typical weekend-weekend sailing tend to attract a different crowd, with less kids, more experienced cruisers. Totally different experience than a three day weekend sailing to the Bahamas from MIA.

I guess this has come full circle for us. We jumped ship from Carnival many years ago when they went to their Playlist Productions shows. We tried NCL and loved Blue Man, Priscella, etc. Now we are going back for our 2nd cruise on Carnival post pandemic. We've also done a Princess cruise post pandemic and only 1 on NCL that was a Transatlantic at a giveaway price. The playlist shows on Carnival are far better than Deal or No Deal, Press Your Luck and Wheel of Fortune. Plus, the dining room food on Carnival is decent, with complimentary Lobster, Filet Mignon, and Salmon.

Same issue here. This was weeks ago. Sent email and heard back from Princess like three weeks later. Their advice was to just keep trying. Must be a known issue.

They live in the chaos they create. NCL is like a magnet for bad publicity. They went through it with the NCL Sun construction cruise a few years ago. They learned nothing from that mess, evidently.

Yet, cruise lines repeatedly violate the terms of the contract they create by offering compensation, OBC, etc. well, most cruise lines do it. Not because the contract requires it, but because it is the right thing to do for their passengers. I think it was Royal that had a ship delayed returning to the embarkation due to weather. Those booked with RCL air got rebooked on new flights.Those that had independent air were reimbursed change fees. NCL would have said, go file a claim with your insurance company. Of course, RCL stock is 6 times more valuable than NCL and RCL have the latest, most innovative, cutting edge ships unparalleled by anyone in the industry.

Haha, no worries. To date, "Contemporary" is an abstract, undefined term, so no one really knows. It can be whatever you want it to be. I suppose you could be "contemporary" today and old fashioned tomorrow. It's a beautiful thing. I have seen it used on these boards to explain away flaws in ship design. It is also regularly trotted out to disguise cutbacks in the customer experience onboard ships.

No. "Contemporary" cruisers enjoy go karts, too. Keep calm, and Race On!! "Contemporary" cruisers don't like old fashioned buffets, either. Enjoy Indulge. I have heard it is amazing.

As long as they are contactless like those in airports, it's a good idea.

Silliest perk with silliest rule ever. Load a drink credit on the account and remove the silly restrictions Carnival.

Recommended to ask on both forums to get a good mix of opinions. NCL boards filled with NCL loyalists who may find it challenging to be objective. Carnival boards filled with Carnival loyalists who may find it challenging to be objective.

Haha. I wouldn't hold my breath on that one. No one I've met and certainly not any of the recent Prima/Viva passengers making YouTube videos complaining about overcrowded buffets and pool decks and undersized nightclubs. It might just be word salad being used in a weak attempt to justify design flaws and refocus attention away from the publicity these ships are receiving, the overwhelming majority of which has been negative. Or maybe "contemporary cruisers" are sailing on Virgin Voyages or Celebrity...🤷🤷

I think they originally planned to charge. There are card readers in the iPads. So, great, that solves the Indulge overcrowding problem. Where would everyone that wants quick service option but doesn't want to pay for food go? Existing quick service buffet woefully inadequate to handle current demand and Indulge is free. Can you imagine the pinch created by driving more people up there at peak times. Plus, we've been told "contemporary" cruisers don't want old fashioned buffets, or at least that''s what I read on here somewhere. 1 slice of pie coming your way. 😀😀

.....of course they do....that's what we were told about traditional buffets, spacious nightclubs, and pool decks with functional swimming pools. Contemporary cruisers don't want that. We see how that is working out for NCL as they scramble to make changes to their new builds. I have ocean front property for sale out in Arizona. From your front porch you can see the sea. DM if interested. Seriously though, this is an example of cost cutting. The contemporary cruiser jargon that repeatedly gets trotted out here is a pretty weak one. NCL knew exactly what is was doing and why it was doing it a few months ago. It isn't going to come out and say that it can't afford production shows anymore, especially since they are the currently the standard in the industry for evening entertainment. You have to skillfully and critically analyze. The cost savings can be used to repay their extreme amount of debt. And the guest participation costs for the game shows can also help. Sadly, we've reached another new low. Enjoy your game shows!! I heard the Price is Right Live! is starting it's run out at the Venetian in Vegas next month. If anyone learns when Press Your Luck Live! debuts on Broadway, please DM me. I love to watch for the whammies. 🤷🤷

Respectfully, no. It's off topic and the majority of the good folks on here couldn't care less.

Hey, thanks for sharing that. I thought I had read that somewhere. Apparently doubters gonna doubt, 🤷🤷

Tender port. Check NCL sister company, Oceania website.

Game shows popping up on multiple Carnival ships, oops, I mean NCL......Price is Right, Press Your Luck, wheel of Fortune. Here is what Richard Ambrose of NCL said in Sept 2023 when the Broadway shows were axed..... "Our direction will continue to be to deliver first-class, creative shows with quality talent and productions that our guests will love. That will not change," Ambrose said. "While we may have removed some big-book musicals, we still have plenty of top entertainment to offer our guests around the fleet. We are currently working with the world's best creative talents both inside and outside the theatrical realm and exploring new innovative and exciting entertainment for our guests."

Thank you for telling me this.

I mean I understand DelRio's grandkids were the inspiration for the innovative GoKarts.....

What an odd comment. All it says is the professionals thought the design was great and some "experienced cruisers" didn't. What "more" do you think it says about some "experienced cruisers"? I am curious because I am one of the experienced cruisers that does not prefer the design of Prima.

Ditto here. Copying Carnival and in a bad way. Not so innovative.

Not sure which ship OP is on. Breakaway is a nice ship. NCL is usually a decent experience. They are experiencing the same deep cutbacks in entertainment/food/service that we see industry wide. Overall, I think you'll enjoy it if you like Carnival. The lines are more similar than different. Goods ... Modern, well maintained ships. Food is decent. Live music throughout the ship every night. Decent service in dining room...no assigned dining time, it is open seating. Buffet is decent...not gourmet. NCL has better late night dining option. Not so goods... Drink package is unlimited but selection is limited and you'll pay extra for grey goose, Baileys, Woodford, specialty coffee, bottled water, etc. Daily service charge is steep..$20pp per day. Frequent itinerary changes a month or so before sailing. Have fun.

Insuremytrip (linked in above post) is a great resource. There is also a great forum right here on cc. Insurance can be very confusing. It is important to understand exactly what is and isn't covered so that in the unfortunate situation where a claim is filed, there won't be any surprises.

Agreed. Not valid on transfer service. Need to book a tour that concludes at the airport.

Who knows, NCL could break that down for us, but they choose not to. My guess is they send some portion of the DSC directly to the team member and then retain the rest to offset costs that are typically the direct responsibility of the employer and are unrelated to the level of service provided to passengers.....crew parties, bonuses, employee benefits, employee uniforms, etc. I conclude this because NCLs service charges are the highest in the industry ans I don't believe crew contracts are more lucrative on NCL vs other mass market lines. It's all the same to me, though, they can call it whatever they want, but there are no entitlements in my world. The only entitlement is the minimum salary outlined and agreed upon in the contract entered into between NCL and it's employees. Anything over and above is discretionary.