aubreyc1988

So the biggest negative (for me) for Breakaway vs Breakaway plus is that Breakaway, Getaway, Escape do not separate the smoking/non smoking casino with a separate room for the smokers. Even if you do not gamble, decks 6-7-8 are open decks and the casino smoke travels and smells dreadful on these ships. Now, I will still sail any NCL ship but the NS casino is a huge factor for me. Seeing as Prima was built with the same smoking casino room design as Plus class ships, I am hoping the Breakaway class will be retrofitted soon (maybe after they recover a bit more from pandemic)

I kid you not, I didn't get a single soft serve when I was on Allure Oct 1 sailing...I guess I just never saw the machine 😞

Does Sharon know if they add 18% gratuity to this? I assume they do but am not sure. I am assuming my Apple crisp was like 7.25 or so after 18% and then I probably tipped an extra 1.00 making it 8.35 (I am just extreme budgeting for my upcoming trip LOL)

I hope after the company gains attention, there will be more independent reviews on how legitimate their claims are. But as a consumer, I just do the best I can with the info I have. Have to trust they aren't sh*tting us.

My receipt from last time said 8.38 for grande oatmilk apple crisp...but I can't remember if that was the actual price or if I tipped extra. The other times I used my coffee card. I am trying to decide if I want to get the coffee card for my upcoming 4 night cruise OR just do starbucks once a day and supplement that with some free redbulls from the casino (I am prime)

these straws are great! Also if you don't mind, would you snap a picture of the cafe promenade/starbucks current menu pricing? Forgot to get this on my time on Allure

Oh Thank you, I forgot the Joy doesn't have the thermal spa because I do not enjoy it personally. Reasons for the Joy over the others, For @KmomChicago, the Joy has Spice H20, Adults only area during the day. This area has a HUGE hot tub, maybe the biggest I've ever seen on a ship. The main spaces on the ship, at least to me, feel a little bigger as well (the whiskey bar is HUGE on the Joy) But Bliss is a close second...Encore is last because it doesn't have a Spice H20 at all.

The different vibe is hard to explain but I'll give some examples. ALSO, please remember that this is only my opinion and is based off of my last two RCI cruises this year and my last three NCL cruises in 2021 Most of the time on NCL, when returning to the ship after a day in port, they have cool washclothes for everyone to wipe their face, cold water/flavored water, sometimes even freeze pops. Really nice touch that I haven't seen RCI. The staff on NCL in GENERAL seem more enthused. The only exception to this is the MDR/Room Attendant staff on Royal, they do amazing jobs. But the bartenders/cruise entertainment staff are where I think RCI is failing the most in terms of staff. No one is ever RUDE but they do not seem to be super happy either and don't have the joy NCL's bartenders/cruise entertainment staff do. Also, NCL has some really innovative sea day activities (In terms of trivia and game shows) that I think RCI could learn from. Some examples, Dollar bill folding, this trivia I did where everyone had a buzzer and it was sort of like a game show where everyone worked together, free craft activities for adults, etc. Bartenders on NCL will remember your name after the second time you stop at the bar and will love to have you stay and chat for a while. Bartenders on Royal will maybe give you a small smile, make your drink, then ignore you the rest of the time while you sit at their bar even though they are not busy. Is any of this bad service, not really but it's just a different from NCL The decline in food on Royal is recent, I think. Before sailing RCI this year, I would have told you the food is probably comparable (When thinking back to my pre-covid Royal cruises) but now I would tell you that it is NCL's is much, much better. I was *especially* disappointed in all of Royal Caribbean's specialty dining. A good example of this is how I don't really like La Cucina on NCL...but it's literally better than ANY of the specialty dining I had on RCI...in terms of presentation, taste, menu variety, service, etc. Imagine how much better the really popular venue's on NCL seem to me. All that being said, in a more "Feelings" sort of way, NCL has this freestyle vibe where it's just more casual. It's just too hard to explain. Definitely give NCL a try. Idk if I would do Prima as my first NCL, not sure if @BirdTravels agrees. I haven't been on Prima so I can't recommend it but my recommendation NOW would be: Joy, if not joy then Bliss, if not Bliss, then Encore.

ah ok, I will make sure i have shows downloaded on my phone them...

Are you going to do a report? Would love to hear your thoughts on the Vibe, I am thinking of doing an inside and just splurging on the vibe due the high cost of balconies (And honestly most of the cheaper balconies have kind of meh views)

Why would the cruiseline pay someone to do this when passengers do it for free 😉

the QR code thing in the room worked well for me, but seriously though, they shouldn't be out of towels at the beginning of the day because most people are seat saving...blows my mind to be honest.

I believe that is what we are going to do...I'd hate to not have nice enough weather to test out all the stuff on Prima

Whats on the treadmill screens? is it one of those things that "makes you think you are walking through a forest, a desert, or in the mountains" 😄 TV available on the screens?

Oh I never saw anyone working on anything, staff members told me they were doing a test run of starlink on my Oct 1 sailing. Obviously not a great test run

I'm going on the freedom in a few weeks, thinking about buying a single day just to test it out.

I just did the scenic drive and Cas Abao...highly recommend. Was about 40-50people on a nice AC bus. My luck is that it rained the WHOLE day but the beach is absolutely beautiful. Snorkeling is very good there and just right off the beach. They stop at Nina Sanchez art gallery on the way, which is very beautiful...lovely property. Food and drinks are not included...Lunch was about 10.00 pp with drinks being around 13.00 each

On Allure, even if you found a chair at 8-9 am, the towel station would be OUT OF TOWELS. When asked why, the attendant would gesture about the sea of towels on chairs and shrug. Like cmon, they could do something about it but choose not to. Sometimes I will sit at the bar and watch a particular chair and wait the 30 min and then move the towel. SMH.

I always pack jackets and hoodies even on a Caribbean cruise lol

Sorry if I missed this...I am a bit behind planning some of my own cruises...how is the Starlink?

My personal opinion is this: you do not need to do anything above and beyond the automatic gratuity if you so wish. Try not to speculate on how much they make, etc...waste of time. They signed a contract, just like a lot of us did with our jobs. However MOST of the time, in MY personal experience, the staff that personally serve me go above and beyond the minimum requirement. So I will tip extra at the end of the cruise. I get those little white envelopes and write names on them and do it for those I feel like went above and beyond for me on my cruise. T The amount I tip extra does vary. For the room steward/MDR dining staff, I usually have a little envelope where I put my small casino tickets in every night. At the end of the cruise, I take those tickets to the casino and split it between them. Those tickets do add up, especially if you are gambler like me. I also usually tip an extra dollar per drink at the bars. I know some people say an additional 5 minimum (Which is great for them), but I'm already paying 18% gratuity, I just literally can't afford to do that. In the end, I keep my auto grats in place, and go with how I feel in the moment. Some cruises I win big in the casino and I can be more generous than other cruises. Some cruises I have staff that are better than others...etc.

Honestly I get a little excited when these threads show up, perfect time to have my afternoon snack and a read.

oh totally missed those photos, was too focused on other things. Well I am sure I can find a treadmill to hop on and they look nice enough!

how is the gym on Prima? I have been trying to get morning walkies in everyday and can't break my apple watch ring streak lol

I was trying to decide if I should do Oasis class Royal ship in Jan/Feb and then Prima in April...OR do Prima in Jan/Feb (which has different itinerary, less desirable in terms of I've been to those ports SO many times) and then do Oasis class in April. I've only been to Bermuda once but idk what I would want to do in Bermuda if I can't snorkel/beach day...and then no swimming on the ship, hmmm. And as I am sure you know, Prima has a high pricetag right now so I gotta make it super worth it haha.