Red-Sol

Back before the pandemic we sailed on Escape while the Supper Club was still going. The food wasn't the greatest and some of the acts also weren't the best...but it was still an enjoyable time for the most part. It would seem to me that NCL might want to rethink what they are doing (or not doing) in those venues....but what do I know! 😉

Curious to hear from any recent Getaway cruisers if the Illusionarium (I know the original concept is long gone) is used for anything at all? Any shows of any kind?

Trust me when I say this but I really do understand! Gonna give this one a go and depending upon how I feel after it really might be it for awhile. I may be in the minority but after being completely psyched to go on Prima I actually felt let down. And I am not sure I can even pinpoint why.

Exactly! Everyone has different likes and dislikes and that doesn't mean that anyone is wrong. As an example we really like Curacao mostly due to the color of the architecture. You find all the bright Caribbean pastel shades there. Aruba though? Not so much.

So I will see you there then? 😉You know you want to! 🤣

Personally I really like Caribbean cruises. Are there more scenic cruises like Hawaii and Europe...you bet! Assuming you are in Charlotte you are in the sweet spot as far as being a days drive to NYC or a days drive to Florida Ports. I am at the point in my life where I will be happy if I never need to fly anywhere again. One thing to consider about Caribbean cruises is there are longer ones at times. We will be taking Getaway out of NYC on a 15 day cruise in November and this is the Itinerary which is really hard to beat.

One big plus for the Epic... IMHO the pool deck and Spice H2O setup on Epic is far better than on any other ship.

No you won't need any info from the other couple in order to make a reservation for 4. The reservation process will only ask you for a number. When you actually go together to the specialty you will need to show different room cards though for the 4 of you assuming all have specialty allowances on their booking.

You have basically stated what we do as well. When we are able to we will make reservations for as many specialties as we are entitled to (However many we get from Free at Sea, the 2 from platinum, and if we purchase any additional.) We will also make all of them as early as possible which usually is 5:30 It isn't so much that we always want to eat that early as much as not wanting to conflict with some of the early entertainment shows. We may end up keeping all or we may end up changing or cancelling some...but having them as placeholders makes things much easier later if needed.

Thanks so much for that!...I never knew it was an option!

Looking at NCL this appears to be the rates used for cancellation fees for a cruise: 119-91 days | 25% of booked fare 90-61 days | 50% of booked fare 60-31 days | 75% of booked fare 30 days or less | 100% Looking at NCL Insurance Cancel For Any Reason it appears that only future cruise credits will be applied at 90% of the penalty rate. BookSafe Travel Protection - Platinum Plan Credit for a future sailing Future credit if you need to cancel your trip for any reason 90% of cruise penalty So my question is what makes up cruise fare? I assume that it is only the actual fare and not additional things like advance payment of DSC, purchasing drink packages, spa thermal suite passes, excursions, etc. I assume that all of those types of things would be refunded at 100% if a cruise needed to be cancelled. What I am trying to determine is what to use for an amount to purchase insurance for a cruise...Is it really just the amount of the fare only without all other additional addons purchased? I would prefer to use outside cruise insurance (through squaremouth) but need to be sure I am comparing apples to apples as I would much rather get some type of actual refund in cash credits (if ever needed) rather than future cruise credit.

I hear you Henry! I was so convinced that I would love the Prima and all she had to offer. Seeing and reading many negative reviews my feelings were "what the hell do they know" or that they were nothing more than chronic complainers. Well my opinion completely changed after a late April sailing to Bermuda.While I didn't completely hate the ship and the experience I did condider it very much "MEH" no need to go over all the good and bad points as it has been done so often already that there isn't much I can add to it. Trust me when I say I really really thought I would love the ship and that all the nay sayers were wrong...unfortunately for me it didn't work out that way. I am NOT trying to influence anyone from making their own judgemment and it is very possible that many people will end up loving the ship...I am simply not one of them. Now looking forward to 15 days on Getaway in November.

Haven't been on the Joy but have been on nearly all of the larger ships. We have never been bothered by any noise from the elevators and we purposely book cabins as close to them as we can. (for convenience) You will be fine.

That is what the Getaway cruise I am taking in November says as well. My understanding about Amber Cove is that it is mostly a Carnival port and I believe there is a 2 ship limit as to docking availabilities. The date of our visit to Dominican already shows 2 Carnival ships docked there that day...so I am hoping that for us we will end up docking at Taino...it all really is very confusing and may very well be that actual docking is possibly not known until very close to the actual cruise.

Thank You Thank You! I was hoping that was the case as Taino Bay looks to be very nice.

Sailing on Getaway later this year and one of the stops is Dominican Republic.I have been seeing many differing and conflicting reports as to which port will actually be used between Taino Bay and Amber Cove. Does anyone have any recent experience as to which port NCL uses now? Or does anyone know of a reliable source where this information can be found?

Sorry I can't recall and can't find the answer to this. If two people are staying in a normal balcony cabin and only one wants to get a pass for the thermal suite...does the other need to purchase it as well?

I am so sorry you are going through this on your cruise....It is NOT acceptable (no matter how a couple of cheerleaders want you to think it is) You and other cruisers with you need to complain loud and long in as many areas and emails to corporate as possible. Frankly the Prima already is not recieiving a lot of good reviews in comparison to the bad ones...and this situation will just make it worse.

If possible they might want to add a thermal suite.

They should contact NCL directly regarding what they found. They might also consider posting something in the roll call for that sailing or any pther appropriate groups. Contacting NCL though should be first.

That is good news! Trending in the right direction is always something to be proud of. Keep on Keeping on.

NCL are you listening? Whether Starbucks branded or not...why not do something similar? Ship Name and at least some ports would be very cool and a big seller I think. With Starbucks also even moreso.

Reason I asked is when we went to the Local on Prima they had some hot fudge Sundaes that were actually pretty good and there wasn't any charge. I remember O'Sheehans having an upcharge for any of the ice cream they served...but it's been awhile since I have been in an O'sheehans.

Some ships still have "O'Sheehans" many now have "The Local"....my question is are the menus the same for both?