detroitlions

5 hours ago, love4god said:

I already booked two of my 3 specialty meals. Just hoping to get that last Ocean Blue resv on embarkation day. 

 

I'll just need to try to book elements tonight after check in. Thanks!

I will be on at midnight also. I get to board with Platinum but I want to see if I can book Elements my DW was annoyed about the lack of shows to book on this cruise so at least I can do that for her.

I am hoping for the cookies on our trip coming up they were hot out of the oven last trip. I had to hold back and only ate 2. The blts were good too.

2 hours ago, bkrickles1 said:

https://profcruise.com/ncl-menus-2024/

 

At the bottom you'll see the vibe snack menu. It may be obsolete but the page was updated just a couple of weeks ago. 

Thank you for posting this. This must be new they did not have it last year in the Vibe. I will check in a few weeks on the Joy counting the days down.

I have loved the Vibe since its inception. 

I have been on almost all of the Vibes love them all.

I also am a sundeck person and I live in Florida! I love going in the Vibe when its not a sea day there always is a stop on my trip I do not leave the boat sometimes 2 so peaceful in the Vibe.

#1 reason for me and DW is to escape the crowds we usually sail during peak season.

#2 excellent bar service. Not waiting in line at the pool deck for a drink is awesome.

#3 there is always a lounger in the shade or in the sun. Sometimes the bar area seats fill up but that is ok.

#4 private bathrooms!

#5 hot tubs that are not full of people and kids there always seems to be one with room.

I thought I was paying DSC so someone can follow me around and pick up the coffee cups and plates after I am done with them. Maybe if I put a dollar under my cup some one will pick it up.

or would they take the dollar and leave the cup. Man so confusing. 

1 minute ago, pete_coach said:

Well, it seems to me that you have to find another way to vacation.The food and service in the MDR and the fish being served clearly ruins it for you  🙂

I already said to you that food is the most talked about topic on this and other cruise line forums.

"One fish that many people label as a bottom feeder is Tilapia—but that's not strictly true. In the wild, Tilapia usually eat around the mid-level of the water,"

 

I never said I needed another way to vacation I like cruising and land vacations. I just stated I have not like the main courses in the MDR in years.

By they way they buy farmed Tilapia. Mostly from Thailand. They raise them in pools and are on the bottom of the food chain.  

46 minutes ago, dexddd said:

As far as Platinum, watch out.  Rules changed like seven years ago. It used to be if you had a kid that had sailed a lot under 18 those points would then make them whatever matching level at age 18.  It then changed that they had to sail once after turning 18 but those already at a certain level before program change were supposed to be grandfathered in.  However, programming never put in place and Lats folks clueless.

Yea its a joke my son was 20 last cruise should have been platinum but nope. Now on this next cruise the room is in his name at 21 we will see what happens. I am guessing he will have to call and get the run around like everything else.

8 hours ago, brad0576 said:

Tilapia is a buffet fish at best, I’m not saying we need Chilean sea bass nightly in the MDR but a snapper or grouper would be nice

 

even salmon would be better

I agree were spoiled with the snapper and grouper here in Florida.

When they say the fish is sea bass it could be a dozen different fish. Some good some not so much. A lot of seafood is seasonal so I know why it changes but change it to something good.

11 hours ago, pete_coach said:

OK. My comment was that tilapia was the 4th most popular fish in the USA today.

You may not like it but a lot do.

As  I said in my first post, food on ships is the most debated topic on this forums, regardless of what cruise line.

Sorry to be you. I would also choose different places to eat if I consistently did not like  the food

Like where? Special restaurants, the pub and buffet are the only other places to eat besides the MDR. So I don't get the point. Sitting for 2 hours for bottom feeder fish like tilapia, and flounder and a rubbery NY strip steak I will pass and I think a huge chunk of the people on CC will agree and its not just NCL its other lines.

22 hours ago, pete_coach said:

I did read your post and that is why I asked if you spoke with the server.

The servers, in any restaurant anywhere in the world are the ones that relay information to the cooks. If the food is not good, that is who you speak to about it. You certainly do not go back to the kitchen LOL

If you do not say anything, no one can help you.

As for portion size, yes, that is the way it is done in the entire food service industry, you may doubt it but that is the way.

As for poor fish,some like it and some do not. Tilapia by the way, is the 3rd or 4th most popular fish. There are premium cuts in every protein but, they ar e always more expensive, even in land based restaurants.

As I said, food is probably the most debatable topic in any forum and certainly on Cruise Critic in all ship and line forums.

That said, while we did not like all offerings, we would never say the food has declined. All tastes are different and yours apparently is much higher level than many here and fir sure, you can state your thoughts but, you should also allow others to express theirs without becoming upset.   🙂

Just want to point out that Tilapia is not good fish. You know how they are harvested ? UGGGG

I know they are in all the ponds in Florida but we do not eat them.

I agree and disagree with a lot that has been said about the food on here. I also have not liked most of the main entrees in the MDR for years. I mostly eat in the special restaurants, buffet and the pub.   

To me that little room is like sleeping in a closet. 

I checked in at 6am and got the (10-1030) earliest on my last NCL cruise I helped my son 3 hours later his was 12:30.

1 hour ago, cruiseny4life said:

So, the cookie conversation got me thinking...gee, every day I make a bunch of cookies at the bakery. Here's a photo of the chocolate chip vegan cookies. And dayum, are they good! Also, not $4+ like that Starbucks one @OrcaGirl got. These are under $2 each and just oooooooooooze chocolate. The sprinkling of kosher salt I add just before the bake gives them a nice bite. One of the many reasons I don't want cruise ship cookies - they're just not good...well, at least not NCL cookies. Anyone want me to make you a batch? Oh, shoot! We don't have packaged packaging. Just to point out, the ones I'm showing aren't my fav as my mentioned that style earlier, but these are a gooey, not crunchy flat cookie!

 

 

@BirdTravels, that was a cruel joke you played! Showing off those goods on the Windjammer line. They look wonderful and yep, I've been so ummm protected from hash browns I just might take a bite of each and put it back @UKstages! 

 

Ahhh cookies and hash browns. Can't keep Santa Claus or myself happy on a cruise ship anymore without. NCL, the new Scrooge McDuck! I wonder if Dirty Harry has a room full of hash browns and cookies he swims in mocking us cruisers?

I would love that recipe. So there are no eggs or nuts in the cookies? My adult son loves cookies but is allergic to eggs and nuts.

On 2/18/2024 at 11:42 AM, dexddd said:

If I had a choice between a 800 calorie Crumb'l vs limited edition double Big Mac at 780 calories, Mac wins.  I've already had five, for my convenience, of course.

This is funny I just ate one and stumbled on the quote

You can get them on Amazon for $21 free shipping.

The reason they are pricey is because they use Marasca cherries which can only grow in northern Italy. 

I think they are nasty. Beyond olives or a lime I do not like any fruits or vegetables in my drink.

7 minutes ago, SoloAlaska said:

Considering Canadians are culturally known for their politeness I’d say your ranking may be off. Patience and politeness is not really what Americans are known for internationally. There’s a reason American tourists will lie and say they are Canadian.

I would not label a culture I think its wrong. People that are rude or obnoxious are from everywhere. 

12 hours ago, Asawi said:

You mean the ones sitting there playing cards with people desperately looking for a seat swirming around them? Gotta love them... 😞 

This made me laugh. I remember a few times I would see a group or family owning the same table every day on a cruise , I would always think there are other things to do not the ship why are you sitting there every day ?

All the NCL ships are booking 100% full so I guess people do not mind paying the not so free fees.

Marketing is all around us for everything. Try buying a car for the price that draws you in for that test drive that they bug the hell out of you to do. I guarantee you pay a lot more in the end for that car. By the way I hate that sales pitch to come in for a test drive such a scam. I also hate the over priced warrantees they make you say yes or no too. I always say no.

On the March 16th Joy it is available for me to book. Not a spa person just happy with my VIBE passes.

7 hours ago, OrcaGirl said:

Hey everyone,

 

Thank you for all the well wishes etc. We will return to our regularly scheduled programming in the morning: mom saw the orthopaedic surgeon in PV this morning, who determined it was a clean fracture, she doesn’t need surgery, and gave her the ‘fit to sail’ clearance. So we reboarded and will finish out the cruise instead. It gives us a couple more days to let her rest up and make arrangements to get her home comfortably.
 

I’ll recap the last two days in more detail in the morning. But yay!

That is great news. I hope everyone has a great time!

On 2/13/2024 at 8:10 AM, JamesIowa said:

can you also please report on vibe cabanas?
Are you able to buy them online yet? Have heard it’s not ready, but since the 1st cruise is a TA in Feb, they may have reprioritized. 

When I booked my March 16th cruise the VIBE was only offered per person price no cabanas. 

11 minutes ago, podgeandrodge said:

Onboard Joy.

 

1.8 Mbps download is best I've got so far. Less than 1 Mbps a lot. Ok for basic surfing just about but your 150 minutes would be wasted quick loading stuff so you'd really need unlimited.

Did you board yesterday? How are the changes on the Joy?

1 minute ago, UKstages said:

 

it doesn't have to be starlink equipment. it's probably not. many people believe NCL left the wifi infrastructure on the ship untouched. again, starlink is new to NCL... starlink gets the bandwidth to the ship;  what happens after that is of no interest to starlink.

 

 

because they wish to sell two different packages... one "regular" package and one allegedly suitable for streaming. so they can reserve capacity for senior officers and business use of the internet by select staff members. so they can reserve the right to offer better faster connections to VIP customers.

All this also depends on which package NCL purchases from Starlink they have many confusing packages. I think that may be some of the reasons folks are reporting different experiences.

That and the point that the access points are all over the ship and there may be dead spots. 

16 minutes ago, UKstages said:

i have.

 

i don't need to google to know that the starlink connection is as slow as molasses.

 

the reason for it is open to discussion.

 

but speed tests are quite reliable.

 

the cruise line can absolutely throttle the connection; the cruise line controls the distribution on the ship and it has absolutely nothing to do with the starlink product. the cruise line can make full capacity (or any download speed) available to select staff or senior officers and even select individual passengers (if it so chooses). if they wanted to, they could provide tiered service, with diamond and ambassador latitudes members getting faster speeds, for instance.

 

if you read the RCCL forum, you'll see that people were getting outrageously fast speeds (for service at sea) of 100 mbps or higher when starlink was first introduced (ships at or near full capacity). then RCCL throttled the service, much as NCL has done and folks are getting 2 mbps or less.

 

starlink gets the bandwidth to the ship; how NCL chooses to distribute that bandwidth is entirely up to NCL.

 

what starlink will do, as i understand it, is prioritize data delivery, so that certain commercial customers might get faster speeds than others or variable speeds. i'm willing to bet that cruise lines, though, are priority customers, just by the sheer size of the contracts.

 

but, again, that has no bearing on which speed(s) a particular cruise line will choose to deliver to its guests and crew.

 

If there throttling speeds that is not starlink equipment they would have to add that. I do not know why they would. And the ship has its own dedicated connections you not sharing operations connection.

Folks should just google Starlink for cruise ships they will find better info on it than word of mouth.