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lexxfield

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Everything posted by lexxfield

  1. Thank you for a wonderful review. The review provides a wealth of knowledge and is very enjoyable to read. I do have a question. It appears from the menus that you have posted that there is no champagne by the glass covered by the premium extra package. Can you confirm this? If so, this is a big change from our November 2023 cruise when one brand of champagne (by the glass) was covered by the premium extra package. Your response is much appreciated.
  2. The Escape is my favorite as it has the best thermal spa area of the ships mentioned and Spice H2O and District Brewhouse. The only drawback to the Escape is that it doesn’t have The Cavern and The Beatles tribute band which is one of my favorite entertainment venues.
  3. Thank you for your detailed response, Bob Brown. The MSC rules appear to change with some frequency, and I was unsure of the current situation, hence the reason for my question.
  4. I wasn’t expecting a rude response, actually. I also disagree. If a solo Diamond traveler is able to invite another person to share the complimentary Diamond specialty meal experience since the perk is a dinner for two, is there any difference in allowing each Diamond member in the same cabin to invite a guest to share? Also, as I understand it, if I am Diamond and my cabin mate has no status, I would also be allowed to invite that person, again what is the difference?
  5. My cabin mate and I both have Diamond status with MSC. We are traveling with another couple who are in a different cabin. I realize that if there are two Diamond members sharing a cabin, then the cabin mates receive only one complimentary Diamond specialty experience. I also realize that if a Diamond member is traveling solo, then this person may invite another guest to share in the complimentary specialty meal. My question is this: May the two Diamond members in the same cabin invite two guest in a different cabin to share the complimentary Diamond specialty meal? Thank you in advance for taking the time to answer this question.
  6. Does MSC allow the use of OBC towards the daily service charges?
  7. Thank you for starting this topic. Yesterday, I successfully applied a second certificate for an inside cabin on a March sailing. I have several certificates due to expire in 2025, and I was beginning to worry whether I would be able to use them all before the expiration date.
  8. There generally is a huge discrepancy between the beer list and what actually is available.
  9. NCL appears to have removed Hennessy XO from the list of spirits covered by the Premium Plus package.
  10. I was hoping that a Thermal Suite would be added to the Joy. Having said that, if the Thermal Suite doesn’t have a pool, I would not consider booking a cruise on the Joy. I used to sail Royal Caribbean exclusively until I sailed on the Escape several years ago and discovered the Thermal Suite on that ship. For me, it is the important feature of an NCL ship. I no longer venture off the ship when in port, as every day on a cruise now finds me is in the Thermal Suite. I haven’t sailed Royal Caribbean since.
  11. We have upgraded to Premium Plus the last several cruises and have enjoyed the different choices. Presently, NCL has removed Veuve Cliquot from the Premium Plus offerings and has not replaced it with a comparable champagne. In fact, many are reporting that NO champagne is now available under the Premium Plus package. Several of the wines we enjoyed also have been removed, along with a couple brands of vodka and Hennessy XO. Unfortunately, we will not upgrade to the Premium Plus in the future as there is no value in it for us. We have a March cruise booked and I will monitor this thread to see if there are any positive changes over the next several months. If Veuve Cliquot (or a comparable champagne) is again covered by Premium Plus, and IF such champagne is actually available at several bars, we will re-evaluate the situation.
  12. Thank you for taking the time to put together what might be the definitive review of the Escape. We have been on the ship four times and we still learned a few things from you. Our last trip on the Escape was the last week of March. We had become fans of the Premium Plus drink package. After reviewing the bar menus that you posted, we are very concerned that so much had been eliminated from Premium Plus in just six weeks time. Unfortunately, the value may no longer be there for us.
  13. We were on the Breakaway in November and ate dinner at Wasabi. It was quite possibly the worst sushi and worst Japanese appetizers that I have ever had. The sushi rice was especially bad. I would recommend that you avoid it unless you are curious as to how bad it could be.
  14. I also bring one of our travel sets in those cases where our traveling companions play. I believe one of the Royal Caribbean ships had a set but that was many years ago.
  15. Of the restaurants I tried, I agree that Pinchos Tapas was the best the last time I sailed on the Escape.
  16. Thank you all for your assistance and suggestions. I was able to confirm both price and availability of the spa pass through the roll call forum for that ship and sailing dates. As the pass was still available, we booked. Much obliged.
  17. Hi all: Could one of you help me with a question? I am considering booking the Getaway for the September 29 sailing. I don't want to book the cruise unless the thermal spa pass is available for the entire week and until I know the cost. I called NCL and the agent said that she had no way of determining whether the pass is available through her system. She said the only way to find out is to have an active booking on this sailing. Is there another way to determine this? Conversely, if any of you are booked for this specific cruise, could you check to see if the spa pass is available? Thanks so much for your assistance.
  18. This is certainly good news. What a welcome change to see the faces of crew members again. I speculate that the crew is breathing a collective sigh of relief. On our last cruise in April several crew members were hoping that their mask mandate would end soon. This development makes it more likely that we will book with NCL this fall.
  19. I do not like the concept of one menu per week. The choices for the week are considerably less than available now. Assuming six different dinner entrees per night on a seven-day cruise, the current cruiser is given 42 entree choices during the week. (There are actually more than different 42 choices as there are six “classic entrees” offered every night and this brings the total to 48.) The Prima menu, on the other hand, gives only eleven choices for the entire week. Of the eleven choices, only five are appealing to me. Any way one looks at it, a significant reduction in choices cannot be considered a positive. As I am not one to dine at specialty restaurants, this change is sufficiently negative to warrant a serious look at other comparable lines.
  20. We are prepared to book a last-minute cruise with MSC once testing is not required. If the company doesn't eliminate testing by the time we are ready to go, we will book NCL instead even though we will have to pay a much higher price.
  21. Here Is one more thing that I would add to BirdTravels' comparison. The Encore has a Beatles tribute band that plays almost nightly, either in the Cavern or the main theater. I have sailed both ships and love them both. The Madara spas are comparable with some minor differences. The dry saunas on the Escape have windows looking out on the sea, the Encore does not. The Thermal Suite on the Escape is a bit larger. All of the water jets in the heated pool worked on the Encore as of April. In December, half of the jets were inoperable on the Escape. I don't think you could go wrong with either ship. If one is driving, rather than flying, the Escape out of Port Canaveral would be my suggestion as traffic is much less than Miami. If one is flying, then the Encore out of Miami might be easier.
  22. I was on the April 3 sailing of the Encore. It is not possible to make reservations for the Cavern Club to see the "Beatles." In order to get a seat, I suggest that you be there around an hour before all the showtimes. To acquire one of the best seats, be there even earlier. The wait is worth it.
  23. I was on the April 3 sailing of the Encore out of Miami. I booked the thermal suite weekly pass prior to the cruise and the cost was $249.
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