Xertes

Also very helpful! Thank you so much.

Well informed is well prepared.

Thank you. Very, very helpful!!!

Thank you for the info. I was not trying to lecture anyone about anything. I was only expressing my opinion (and shocked reaction) to this policy, and the information provided by NCL. As I said, I have not traveled NCL before though I have traveled all the other mass market cruise lines. I will not know whether NCL is a cruise line for me or not until after this trip.

In any case, I do appreciate you providing me with the info as it helps me to be prepared and plan. Again, thank you.

Thanks so much. That info is very helpful.

We are taking our first trip on NCL in March on the Norwegian Jewel. Unlike other cruise lined, NCL no longer allows you to bring soda pop in factory sealed cans on board. Their ridiculous explanation for this is that people try to sneak alcohol on board in factory sealed cans (neat trick, how do they do it?) and it takes too much time to have specialized personnel examine the cans at embarkation. They will permit you, however, to bring a bottle of wine on board for which they charge a corkage fee. I wonder how much training the specialized personnel have to go through to properly examine a soda can. A week of classes, maybe, in soda can examination? Do they get certified?

Be that as it may, I called NCL in anticipation of our upcoming cruise to ask what the price of a can of diet Pepsi was on board the ship and whether the price at the bar on the ship was different from the price if taken from the minibar in the room. The customer service rep I spoke with, who kept trying to upsell me the unlimited soda package posted all over the NCL website, told me they did not have the information I requested and I would have to wait until I got on the ship to find out, as the price will vary depending on the itinerary. I asked her what that meant. She said prices are subject to change up until the day of sailing so she could not give me the price but apparently the unlimited soda package, which she tried for the umpteenth time to sell me, remains static and she could therefore tell me how much it is, even though that information is already readily available on the website. Not a good start. This may be our first and last cruise on NCL.

Can anybody tell me how much a can of soda is onboard and if there is a difference between the price if taken from the minibar instead of purchased at the bar or in the dining room? I know there is an 18% gratuity added to the cost regardless.

We are taking our first trip on NCL in March on the Norwegian Jewel. Unlike other cruise lined, NCL no longer allows you to bring soda pop in factory sealed cans on board. Their ridiculous explanation for this is that people try to sneak alcohol on board in factory sealed cans (neat trick, how do they do it?) and it takes to much time to have specialized personnel examine the cans at embarkation. They will permit you, however, to bring a bottle of wine on board for which they charge a corkage fee. I wonder how much training the specialized personnel have to go through to properly examine a soda can. A week of classes, maybe, in soda can examination? Do they get certified?

Be that as it may, I called NCL in anticipation of our upcoming cruise to ask what the price of a can of diet Pepsi was on board the ship and whether the price at the bar on the ship was different from the price if taken from the minibar in the room. The customer service rep I spoke with, who kept trying to upsell me the unlimited soda package posted all over the NCL website, told me they did not have the information I requested and I would have to wait until I got on the ship to find out, as the price will vary depending on the itinerary. I asked her what that meant. She said prices are subject to change up until the day of sailing so she could not give me the price but apparently the unlimited soda package, which she tried for the umpteenth time to sell me, remains static and she could therefore tell me how much it is, even though that information is already readily available on the website. Not a good start. This may be our first and last cruise on NCL.

Can anybody tell me how much a can of soda is onboard and if there is a difference between the price if taken from the minibar instead of purchased at the bar or in the dining room? I know there is an 18% gratuity added to the cost regardless.

My wife and I have traveled on both Allure of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas. The Allure of the Seas is a gorgeous ship with plenty to do. Anthem is also gorgeous but more subdued and has less to do. My food experience on the Allure was not good. Most of the food in the dining room looked great, had great presentation but lacked flavor. I mean no taste at all. I could have been eating cardboard. Variety of selections were fine, appearance was superb, texture was okay but just flavorless. At least, that was my experience for most of the food in the MDR. The food in the Windjammer buffet was not much better and it was very difficult to find a place to sit there. By contrast, food on the Anthem was very good and their Windjammer buffet had maybe the best cruise buffet food I ever had (cruise buffets, by and large, are not known for having great food). This is the same cruise line for both ships!!! Go figure.

We had an ocean view picture window room on the Allure and it was very nice, roomy and comfortable with plenty of storage. We liked everything about the ship except for the food.