LISTENING NCL? Pre-planning ideas!

[DMLyons]

Personally, I don't see the need to have to plan everything out. I don't get why people get upset when "it is the 45-day mark, why can't I make reservations yet?"

 

And before you say, I am not organized, let me say I am the most organized, thorough, detail oriented person.

 

OP, even if NCL were to have such information available and it changes, think how many people would start complaining when activities do change saying "You sent me XXXX and said trivia would be at 3:30 p.m. and it was actually at 5:30. I had to get ready for dinner and missed trivia. I want compensation because my cruise was ruined." It would happen.

 

I never said I wanted to plan everything out to the minute or even right at the 45/55 day mark. You're making assumptions there, and believe me, it's nothing resembling the truth. I'm only posing this suggestion this far in advance, because I've noted the failure in the system, and any change would take a LONG time to implement. I do want to plan some things and know they aren't going to clash with something else we already know we want to do, and at the moment, there's no way to do that. It seems we have no option but to make last-minute plans aboard, and I don't find that ideal.

 

I can understand why NCL wouldn't want to deal with the ill-mannered beasts out there (customer service is no joking matter), but major events (at least those not held outside) should have a general target day, so we know to avoid other plans that day. And it's not just meals that are affected by this, since I had planned to do couples treatments at the spa before our event (and I have been told the spa slots fill up early). Without knowing (for instance) what day the mystery luncheon (if they'll even still be doing that when I go) will be held, I risk missing it for a spa treatment that I have no way of rescheduling to a later time. Unless you're going to tell me that every major show/event like that one will be held twice a sailing (isn't that asking for a lot, I know?), there's no good answer to this problem, it seems.

 

DML

[DMLyons]

The Dailys will be delivered to your room each night by your Room Steward during turn-down service (which is generally when most people are having dinner). The embarkation day Daily should be available for you in the Terminal while you are waiting to board. As far as planning...One thing that IS standard across the fleet is that the dinner menu with the Lobster entree is ALWAYS served in the main dining rooms on embarkation day...so if you're interested in the Lobster, plan on eating in the MDR on Day 1.

 

Better than 5 am, I suppose.

 

Actually, one poster said he arranges to have the lobster brought to Teppanyaki the first night and prepared as part of his meal there. Anyone else done that? Sounds like a great idea to me, and I'll have to ask the concierge about how to do that. :o

 

DML

[DMLyons]

Factor in the cost of someone (or multiple people) to extract this information from each HD for each cruise, and we'd all probably wind up paying a bit more for our cruise, for information that the majority of us feel no need for before sailing.

 

The cost would not actually be that big; that's a mistaken idea that keeps getting repeated. You don't need more people on a regular basis. You need one piece of code that pulls two existing pieces of software together and allows what the cruise director and other staff are doing to be visible to others who are in need of the information, once it's finalized and sent along in the system. I've seen my company's IT dept do these types of things over a matter of weeks, setting up a system that each dept has access to and that shows individuals only what they need to see by way of setting permissions and matching codes for only information pertinent to the individual...ship, customer, etc. The system even sends out an email automatically when new information is available. It streamlined the process we use, since it allows everyone involved to see what they need to see, real time. They probably already have a portion of it in place, considering the screens that show you reservation availability and such on the TVs aboard, which would all be computer generated and hooked to the TVs. Of course, we know their site is in need of a good update, but some systems are already primed for such an addition, from what I can see. This could fit well into the existing pane.

 

I'll have to disagree with you and point out that you cannot speak for what the "majority" of anyone feel. You can only speak for yourself and a few others who have stated they don't feel the need. Notice that several others said they understand my points and have asked the same questions themselves.

 

DML

[jdvmd]

Better than 5 am, I suppose.

 

Actually, one poster said he arranges to have the lobster brought to Teppanyaki the first night and prepared as part of his meal there. Anyone else done that? Sounds like a great idea to me, and I'll have to ask the concierge about how to do that. :o

 

DML

 

Never heard of anyone doing this.

Just to play devil's advocate here. What if I were dining at Teppanayki that night and because of my shellfish and seafood allergy, your dining time would be delayed because my food would have to be prepared before your lobster that you had brought up from the main dining room? Are you going to be upset because you were delayed and will miss the opening of the show you scheduled specifically?

I think we all like NCL's Freestyle system and it works.

[NLH Arizona]

Better than 5 am, I suppose.

 

Actually, one poster said he arranges to have the lobster brought to Teppanyaki the first night and prepared as part of his meal there. Anyone else done that? Sounds like a great idea to me, and I'll have to ask the concierge about how to do that. :o

 

DML

I thought the Teppanyaki restaurant served lobster on their menu.

[jdvmd]

The cost would not actually be that big; that's a mistaken idea that keeps getting repeated. You don't need more people on a regular basis. You need one piece of code that pulls two existing pieces of software together and allows what the cruise director and other staff are doing to be visible to others who are in need of the information, once it's finalized and sent along in the system. I've seen my company's IT dept do these types of things over a matter of weeks, setting up a system that each dept has access to and that shows individuals only what they need to see by way of setting permissions and matching codes for only information pertinent to the individual...ship, customer, etc. The system even sends out an email automatically when new information is available. It streamlined the process we use, since it allows everyone involved to see what they need to see, real time. They probably already have a portion of it in place, considering the screens that show you reservation availability and such on the TVs aboard, which would all be computer generated and hooked to the TVs. Of course, we know their site is in need of a good update, but some systems are already primed for such an addition, from what I can see. This could fit well into the existing pane.

 

I'll have to disagree with you and point out that you cannot speak for what the "majority" of anyone feel. You can only speak for yourself and a few others who have stated they don't feel the need. Notice that several others said they understand my points and have asked the same questions themselves.

 

DML

 

DML, have you ever been on NCL? Or any cruise? People are trying to be nice here and say they understand your point.

[NMLady]

The cost would not actually be that big; that's a mistaken idea that keeps getting repeated. You don't need more people on a regular basis. You need one piece of code that pulls two existing pieces of software together and allows what the cruise director and other staff are doing to be visible to others who are in need of the information, once it's finalized and sent along in the system. I've seen my company's IT dept do these types of things over a matter of weeks, setting up a system that each dept has access to and that shows individuals only what they need to see by way of setting permissions and matching codes for only information pertinent to the individual...ship, customer, etc. The system even sends out an email automatically when new information is available. It streamlined the process we use, since it allows everyone involved to see what they need to see, real time. They probably already have a portion of it in place, considering the screens that show you reservation availability and such on the TVs aboard, which would all be computer generated and hooked to the TVs. Of course, we know their site is in need of a good update, but some systems are already primed for such an addition, from what I can see. This could fit well into the existing pane.

 

I'll have to disagree with you and point out that you cannot speak for what the "majority" of anyone feel. You can only speak for yourself and a few others who have stated they don't feel the need. Notice that several others said they understand my points and have asked the same questions themselves.

 

DML

 

What you keep ignoring is the turnover of crew and HD staff AND entertainment acts which would make it difficult to do planning more than a few days or week in advance.

[jdvmd]

I thought the Teppanyaki restaurant served lobster on their menu.

 

It is part of a dish called Seafood Diablo - scallops, lobster and calamari.

 

I would have to go back through the thread to know why this is important. I think someone just mentioned that the first night there would be lobster served in the MDR. Not sure if OP was planning to do Teppanayki on the first night but doesn't want to miss the lobster in the MDR.

[DMLyons]

Never heard of anyone doing this.

Just to play devil's advocate here. What if I were dining at Teppanayki that night and because of my shellfish and seafood allergy, your dining time would be delayed because my food would have to be prepared before your lobster that you had brought up from the main dining room? Are you going to be upset because you were delayed and will miss the opening of the show you scheduled specifically?

I think we all like NCL's Freestyle system and it works.

 

Search for it. It was within the last few weeks that the poster mentioned doing it.

 

He (I believe it was a "he"...could be wrong there) said they cooked the lobster last, specifically to avoid cross-contamination, so yes...I was aware of that and so was everyone who read his message about it. I suppose they have to do the same thing if someone orders shrimp at Teppanyaki, which is typically available at Teppanyaki restaurants in general. It's not a great place to eat if you're allergic, simply because aerosol of the allergen could pose a problem. One of the difficulties of cooking at the table, even if you do have proper ventilation. But those with allergies know that. I don't visit restaurants I know pose a cross-contamination problem for me as a general rule.

 

DML

[DMLyons]

I thought the Teppanyaki restaurant served lobster on their menu.

 

I haven't seen a menu for it. I was going by what the other poster said about it. He made it seem as if that was something he had to do to get lobster there. If his information is old or whatever...well, that happens. ;)

 

DML

[NLH Arizona]

The cost would not actually be that big; that's a mistaken idea that keeps getting repeated. You don't need more people on a regular basis. You need one piece of code that pulls two existing pieces of software together and allows what the cruise director and other staff are doing to be visible to others who are in need of the information, once it's finalized and sent along in the system. I've seen my company's IT dept do these types of things over a matter of weeks, setting up a system that each dept has access to and that shows individuals only what they need to see by way of setting permissions and matching codes for only information pertinent to the individual...ship, customer, etc. The system even sends out an email automatically when new information is available. It streamlined the process we use, since it allows everyone involved to see what they need to see, real time. They probably already have a portion of it in place, considering the screens that show you reservation availability and such on the TVs aboard, which would all be computer generated and hooked to the TVs. Of course, we know their site is in need of a good update, but some systems are already primed for such an addition, from what I can see. This could fit well into the existing pane.

 

I'll have to disagree with you and point out that you cannot speak for what the "majority" of anyone feel. You can only speak for yourself and a few others who have stated they don't feel the need. Notice that several others said they understand my points and have asked the same questions themselves.

 

DML

Changes in systems cost money. If they are going to spend money to upgrade their system, I would prefer they spend it on the portion for reservations, not uploading daily schedules.

 

No one on here knows for sure what the "majority" wants. Only if NCL were to do a survey would we find out truly if cruisers are interested in getting the daily schedules prior to the night before each day.

 

I'm a planner - if one could seem my spread sheet for my 2013 and 2014 vacations which are all booked and my books or folders on each vacation, it would probably blow another planners mind. But when I'm on a cruise, getting the schedule the night before is fine. When I get back to my room in the evening, I take 30 minutes to go over the schedule and plan out my next day (plan on taking a highlighter on your cruise). If I miss something, oh well, I'm sure I'm doing something fun anyway, so it is no big deal. Nothing I miss will ruin my cruise.

[mom2tcdx2]

I think I really see both sides. On Carnival I do think they are pretty set in stone on when things are done, which to me if I was doing a Back to back sailing would get a little boring of doing the same things, same time, etc. Not to mention shows being the same, etc, but that way I guess you could mix things up.

 

And people do get very upset when things don't start on time. Bingo, trivia, etc. I think the things we want to know more are shows, comedians, etc that are only done one time. Where things like bingo, trivia are done throughout the sailing.

 

I also for instance missed doing the drink tastings on Disney, because I had absolutely no way to know they were something you were supposed to sign up for on the first day and by the time I saw which day they were done, they were all take up already.

 

There is nothing wrong with a little planning and scheduling. Especially around things like spa treatments, dinner reservations. For instance I don't want to book my Cirque dinner show and then it be the same night they are doing the Rock of Ages. I can't then book my dinner reservation because I do not know which night the show is.

[NLH Arizona]

I haven't seen a menu for it. I was going by what the other poster said about it. He made it seem as if that was something he had to do to get lobster there. If his information is old or whatever...well, that happens. ;)

 

DML

Well, since I'm the planner of all planners, I looked at each of the speciality restaurants' sample menu prior to my first NCL cruise. I thought I remembered seeing it on the menu, as well as one of the ladies on my cruise had lobster (she asked not to be given the scallops or Calamari) for her meal at Teppanyaki.

 

This is from the menu:

TEPPANYAKI CLASSICS

Chicken Yakiudon - Hibachi Chicken, Udon Noodles

Vegetable Yakiudon - Seasonal Vegetables, Udon Noodles

*Seafood - Lobster, Sea Scallops, Calamari

*Filet Mignon - Beef Tenderloin

Vegetable - Teriyaki Tofu, Seasonal Vegetables

[camz]

DMLyons: Wait a minute, did I just read somewhere that you are in a suite? If that is the case, there are all kinds of functions and parties you will be invited to as a VIP. For example, cocktails with the Captain, Art Gallery Champagne Function, Columbian Emeralds Champagne Function, Special VIP to the Chocolate Buffet. These are a few I thought of. In any event, you get invites in your suite which are sent from your conceirge. Most of these events you will probably want to attend and there is no way of knowing ahead of time when these events will be held even if you had a Freestyle Daily. Just thought you would want to know this. :)

[dalgirl]

OP - I think it is safe to say that everyone on these boards are planners to some extent, so your concerns are not dismissed. I can tell you no need to worry that "Major events" will clash with each other because NCL knows that something like the white hot party will be special and there is no other "major event" that night. And even on Epic with all of its shows, they will run several times during the week.

 

And unless it is spring break or Christmas and your ship is full, you will not be shut out of anything you want to do, so please do not stress that you won't get in to something important to you.

 

As for making dailies uniform as to time, day, etc. remember that some activities will not translate - there are no "hula lessons" or "lei making" on an Alaskan cruise and no "park ranger" will come on board for a Caribbean cruise." But martini tastings, trivia, etc. are across the board. And weather can effect some activities which requires that dailies be updated - well daily. Some activities that may usually be scheduled by the pool will be changed if the captain knows that bad weather will move in. And holding off passing these out until the evening before gives the best up to date info for activities. So no one can plan exactly every minute of every day of every cruise - even the same ship.

 

And don't get upset with those who no longer obsess over the dailies: I think once someone has been on a lot of cruises with the same cruiseline over and over they just don't worry about the dailies - mostly same old stuff on all of the ships, just different dates and times - you pretty much know that you will see the same type of activity on your ship.

 

One of the things I enjoy doing at the end of the evening is to check out the daily delivered to my cabin at turndown with info for the next day - and lots of times I plan to attend something and then get lazy and never make it - which is also fine.

 

I can tell you really need this upcoming vacation and I hope you have a wonderful time:)

[DMLyons]

DML, have you ever been on NCL? Or any cruise? People are trying to be nice here and say they understand your point.

 

Not NCL (which is why I'm here asking questions, so I can prepare for this in advance), but yes, I have cruised before. And I travel for business and pleasure in general, which means I know how I like to handle travel. And I deal with businesses and customers daily, which means I understand what is possible with today's technology and how important customer suggestions are. What I'm suggesting is not unrealistic at all, though probably wouldn't be available by the time I cruise, even if they adopted something like it.

 

It seems to me that some people here don't want to be nice and understand anything, so I have to wonder what posts you're reading. Some people do, and thank goodness for them. It's possible to have a discussion that gives me useful information with them. Some people are too busy trying to tell me to go cruise elsewhere. Not helpful. Not germane. Completely and utterly ignored as inconsequential, as it should be.

 

Honestly, the people who have said they've asked similar questions in the past have given me some of the best information I've seen yet. Most of the rest are the usual suppositions and guesses, and I know from experience that those cannot be trusted as containing any real facts. And nothing that doesn't come from NCL right now is really indicative of the current mindset of NCL. That's just common sense.

 

DML

[SeaShark]

I think I really see both sides. On Carnival I do think they are pretty set in stone on when things are done, which to me if I was doing a Back to back sailing would get a little boring of doing the same things, same time, etc. Not to mention shows being the same, etc, but that way I guess you could mix things up.

 

And people do get very upset when things don't start on time. Bingo, trivia, etc. I think the things we want to know more are shows, comedians, etc that are only done one time. Where things like bingo, trivia are done throughout the sailing.

 

I also for instance missed doing the drink tastings on Disney, because I had absolutely no way to know they were something you were supposed to sign up for on the first day and by the time I saw which day they were done, they were all take up already.

 

There is nothing wrong with a little planning and scheduling. Especially around things like spa treatments, dinner reservations. For instance I don't want to book my Cirque dinner show and then it be the same night they are doing the Rock of Ages. I can't then book my dinner reservation because I do not know which night the show is.

 

I think that we're all in agreement here. Nobody (at least from what I've read) has argued that there is something wrong with planning. The bigger picture issue for this topic is that while there is nothing wrong with a little planning, people have to realize that there is no schedule...and for a number of reasons, there can't be a schedule. Keeping that in mind, we're simply saying that you will encounter difficulty trying to plan around a schedule that hasn't yet been created.

 

 

If you are a person who likes to plan, then wait until the schedule is published before making your plan. The fact that the person is ready to plan before the schedule is published does not, in and of itself, indicate a problem within the system.

 

But that is one of the things that we all accept when we book NCL. It is "Freestyle", not "Scheduled and Planned".

[DMLyons]

I think I really see both sides.

There is nothing wrong with a little planning and scheduling. Especially around things like spa treatments, dinner reservations. For instance I don't want to book my Cirque dinner show and then it be the same night they are doing the Rock of Ages. I can't then book my dinner reservation because I do not know which night the show is.

 

 

I feel your pain. Grin... This is precisely what I'm talking about.

 

DML

[DMLyons]

OP - I think it is safe to say that everyone on these boards are planners to some extent, so your concerns are not dismissed. I can tell you no need to worry that "Major events" will clash with each other because NCL knows that something like the white hot party will be special and there is no other "major event" that night. And even on Epic with all of its shows, they will run several times during the week.

 

I can tell you really need this upcoming vacation and I hope you have a wonderful time:)

 

It's not so much major events clashing with each other as it is trying to do personal events and not miss major events in the process, which is nerve wracking. :eek: We're doing our 25th Anniversary on the cruise, so while I trust they will avoid two major events at the same time, I'm not so sure about the major events colliding with mine.

 

It is good to hear that shows will happen more than once. That should help me avoid missing something I really want to do.

 

And yes... I won't argue that I need this vacation. :p

 

DML

[SeaShark]

Not NCL (which is why I'm here asking questions, so I can prepare for this in advance), but yes, I have cruised before. And I travel for business and pleasure in general, which means I know how I like to handle travel. And I deal with businesses and customers daily, which means I understand what is possible with today's technology and how important customer suggestions are. What I'm suggesting is not unrealistic at all, though probably wouldn't be available by the time I cruise, even if they adopted something like it.

 

It seems to me that some people here don't want to be nice and understand anything, so I have to wonder what posts you're reading. Some people do, and thank goodness for them. It's possible to have a discussion that gives me useful information with them. Some people are too busy trying to tell me to go cruise elsewhere. Not helpful. Not germane. Completely and utterly ignored as inconsequential, as it should be.

 

Honestly, the people who have said they've asked similar questions in the past have given me some of the best information I've seen yet. Most of the rest are the usual suppositions and guesses, and I know from experience that those cannot be trusted as containing any real facts. And nothing that doesn't come from NCL right now is really indicative of the current mindset of NCL. That's just common sense.

 

DML

 

To add to your statement highlighted above... You did, in fact, state early on in the thread that this would be your first time on NCL. In my view, when people later on ask you if you've ever been on NCL before, it is an indicator that they are simply commenting with even bothering to read the thread.

 

So you shouldn't wonder what posts they are reading as they haven't read any at all. :rolleyes:

[DMLyons]

DMLyons: Wait a minute, did I just read somewhere that you are in a suite? If that is the case, there are all kinds of functions and parties you will be invited to as a VIP. For example, cocktails with the Captain, Art Gallery Champagne Function, Columbian Emeralds Champagne Function, Special VIP to the Chocolate Buffet. These are a few I thought of. In any event, you get invites in your suite which are sent from your conceirge. Most of these events you will probably want to attend and there is no way of knowing ahead of time when these events will be held even if you had a Freestyle Daily. Just thought you would want to know this. :)

 

I know. Thankfully, most of those aren't things I plan on attending...besides the chocolate buffet. Always a favorite when we cruise. I'll miss a paid reservation to hit that. :D

 

DML

[camz]

DMLyons - Did you see my previous post about the Suite VIP Parties? It was near the end of the previous page. Anyway, I think it may be of some interest to you. Just trying to help! :D

[DMLyons]

To add to your statement highlighted above... You did, in fact, state early on in the thread that this would be your first time on NCL. In my view, when people later on ask you if you've every been on NCL before, it is an indicator that they are simply commenting with even bothering to read the thread.

 

So you shouldn't wonder what posts they are reading as they haven't read any at all. :rolleyes:

 

Thank you so much, Sea Shark. You are a gem. Thanks to everyone who gave me information. Believe it or not, I do learn a lot here.

 

DML

[SeaShark]

It's not so much major events clashing with each other as it is trying to do personal events and not miss major events in the process, which is nerve wracking. :eek: We're doing our 25th Anniversary on the cruise, so while I trust they will avoid two major events at the same time, I'm not so sure about the major events colliding with mine.

 

It is good to hear that shows will happen more than once. That should help me avoid missing something I really want to do.

 

And yes... I won't argue that I need this vacation. :p

 

DML

 

Just to clarify that point...

 

When saying that shows will happen more than once, they mean "more than once on the same night"...IOW at say 7pm and 9pm. They do NOT mean that the same show will take place on two (or more) different nights.

 

That said...I know that you are sailing on the Dawn, but while what I stated above is true in MOST of the fleet, on Epic (and I'm sure, Breakaway and Getaway), the same shows are repeated on multiple nights.

[DMLyons]

DMLyons - Did you see my previous post about the Suite VIP Parties? It was near the end of the previous page. Anyway, I think it may be of some interest to you. Just trying to help! :D

 

Yep. Got it and responded. I'm TRYING to take them in order, but sometimes I miss one and find it later, when the updates are jerky and people are commenting quickly. Thanks much.

 

DML