FDR on CNBC

[Ships R Great]

Oh dear! This doesn.t sound good.  The only time I have sailed on NCL was in 2001on Norway.  She was a beautiful ship-a real ocean liner-but the worst food I ever had on a ship!  I hope the Sun will be better!

[GA Dave]

41 minutes ago, Zippeedee said:

[SNIP]

Combined with all of the recent "environmental" cutbacks, (ice buckets, towel animals etc) it just looks like the basics are being cut to pay for the new, glitzy stuff.   By "art" I didn't mean the art auctions, I meant decorating the ships. I guess I am just old, they want to draw the younger crowd who want laser tag and race cars. Not to overgeneralize, but I do think with the current state of the economy, "old" people have much more discretionary income than those stuck with student loans, trying to buy first houses, etc.  They push us away to their own detriment.

I have to add my two cents on your statement about the younger people struggling financially.  I think this is a notion that the media has pushed that is not based on fact.  I have two "children", 29 and 27.  Both are professionals (similar to me) who make much more money now than I ever dreamed of at their age, both have excellent saving habits, and both are able to take many more vacations than my DW and I could afford, even today.  My employees at work who are millennials are also able to travel on cruises, to Europe and Asia, etc. like I never was able to at their ages.

I think too many times the media is showing us the younger people who take out tens of thousands of dollars in loans for a degree that is obsolete, instead of showing us these STEM grads that are making six figures at or very shortly after graduation.

Just my two cents.

[IrieBajan54]

 

To expand the conversation a little, there was a recent thread speculating about the oldest ships being sold off. Looks like FDR put that to bed.  The article stated that he plans to spend $150 million refurbishing the Spirit from "head to toe" by early next year.  The older ships are my go to first.

[Zippeedee]

10 minutes ago, GA Dave said:

I have to add my two cents on your statement about the younger people struggling financially.  I think this is a notion that the media has pushed that is not based on fact.  I have two "children", 29 and 27.  Both are professionals (similar to me) who make much more money now than I ever dreamed of at their age, both have excellent saving habits, and both are able to take many more vacations than my DW and I could afford, even today.  My employees at work who are millennials are also able to travel on cruises, to Europe and Asia, etc. like I never was able to at their ages.

I think too many times the media is showing us the younger people who take out tens of thousands of dollars in loans for a degree that is obsolete, instead of showing us these STEM grads that are making six figures at or very shortly after graduation.

Just my two cents.

I am happy to hear that as it bodes well for the future of the country. I work in a small non-profit and that is certainly not the case here. Many of our just-out-of-college age employees are living with multiple roommates to afford Boston area rents. A vacation for them is a day off at the park with a local craft beer or maybe a trip home to visit their families.

[IrieBajan54]

13 minutes ago, Zippeedee said:

I am happy to hear that as it bodes well for the future of the country. I work in a small non-profit and that is certainly not the case here. Many of our just-out-of-college age employees are living with multiple roommates to afford Boston area rents. A vacation for them is a day off at the park with a local craft beer or maybe a trip home to visit their families.

 

I agree with you. It is not FAKE news that college grads are drowning in debt. It is not the media. The chairman of the federal reserve, Jerome Powell, testified this month to Congress that it is a major problem. Speaking of grads living with roommates, many others are actually moving back home with Mom and Dad.

 

40 million Americans have $1.4 trillion in outstanding student loans.

 

Edited May 30, 2019 by IrieBajan54
adjust lines

[newmexicoNita]

1 hour ago, Zippeedee said:

I have never had a problem with cleanliness and always received excellent service until I didn't.  My recent Getaway cruise was a mess. Tables not cleaned, lipstick on glasses, filthy public bathrooms with broken soap dispensers.   I thought it was just the pre-drydock state of the ship, but then I just read a few comments stating that the Breakaway had many of the same issues. We may have been understaffed because there were many crew members with the same respiratory illness many passengers, including myself, were hit with during the cruise.

 

Combined with all of the recent "environmental" cutbacks, (ice buckets, towel animals etc) it just looks like the basics are being cut to pay for the new, glitzy stuff.   By "art" I didn't mean the art auctions, I meant decorating the ships. I guess I am just old, they want to draw the younger crowd who want laser tag and race cars. Not to overgeneralize, but I do think with the current state of the economy, "old" people have much more discretionary income than those stuck with student loans, trying to buy first houses, etc.  They push us away to their own detriment.

I really don't think cut backs in ice buckets or towel animals has much to do with this. Of course young people have expenses those of us older passengers do not, but how many younger people do you know? How many have you seen on cruise ships compared to how many you say say, 10 years ago. I know,from watching my granddaughters and their friends how many vacations they take and what they do on vacation. We grew up thinking vacation meant camping or visiting relatives, maybe renting a cabin in the mountains We never went on an airplane or even thought about a cruise. Our kids considered vacation about the same as we did, with the addition of maybe a thee park. My grand kids do take their kids on cruises. So do a lot of their friends. 

[GA Dave]

1 hour ago, IrieBajan54 said:

 

I agree with you. It is not FAKE news that college grads are drowning in debt. It is not the media. The chairman of the federal reserve, Jerome Powell, testified this month to Congress that it is a major problem. Speaking of grads living with roommates, many others are actually moving back home with Mom and Dad.

 

40 million Americans have $1.4 trillion in outstanding student loans.

 

Again, as I stated, my issue is that they state that "all" recent grads are drowning in debt and living on a shoestring.  This is totally false, and highly insulting to people such as my DW and I that made sure our children did not face this when they graduated.  It is also insulting to people like my children who worked extremely hard to get excellent academic scholarships, who worked through tough programs in college, and to earn very high level jobs, to be lumped in with "all millennials are in debt and living with Mom and Dad" by people a such as that.

[mugtech]

6 hours ago, njhorseman said:

I disagree. I currently have 8 NCL cruises booked. All  were booked far in advance of the sailing date. On all 8 of my cruises the current prices are higher than the prices were when I booked, anywhere from $50 per person to $750 per person...and I booked when better incentives were available, so my price relative to making a current booking is even lower than the difference in cash fare. 

Check the prices a month before sailing.

[mugtech]

50 minutes ago, GA Dave said:

Again, as I stated, my issue is that they state that "all" recent grads are drowning in debt and living on a shoestring.  This is totally false, and highly insulting to people such as my DW and I that made sure our children did not face this when they graduated.  It is also insulting to people like my children who worked extremely hard to get excellent academic scholarships, who worked through tough programs in college, and to earn very high level jobs, to be lumped in with "all millennials are in debt and living with Mom and Dad" by people a such as that.

Not all, just 40,000,000.

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, mugtech said:

Check the prices a month before sailing.

I understand that, but on well-sold cruises you don't get a big drop a month out and if prices have gone up substantially while the cruise has been available any last-minute decreases can still result in a higher price than was paid initially, with the possible exception of cabins that remain unsold in the last week. Only a small minority of cruisers can wait until the last minute to book because they have jobs and other responsibilities that require advance vacation planning. If you have to fly into a port airline seats may be scarce and the price for any remaining seats can be sky high (no pun intended). You also may be stuck with a cabin guarantee or the worst located cabins and that's not acceptable to many if not most.

 

If you can wait until the absolute last minute to book that's great You can but most can't.

 

You've greatly overgeneralized the pricing strategy for NCL versus Royal. In fact every week Royal releases a bulletin with substantial inventory of last minute availability at greatly reduced prices.

Edited May 30, 2019 by njhorseman

[newmexicoNita]

17 hours ago, Zippeedee said:

I have never had a problem with cleanliness and always received excellent service until I didn't.  My recent Getaway cruise was a mess. Tables not cleaned, lipstick on glasses, filthy public bathrooms with broken soap dispensers.   I thought it was just the pre-drydock state of the ship, but then I just read a few comments stating that the Breakaway had many of the same issues. We may have been understaffed because there were many crew members with the same respiratory illness many passengers, including myself, were hit with during the cruise.

 

Combined with all of the recent "environmental" cutbacks, (ice buckets, towel animals etc) it just looks like the basics are being cut to pay for the new, glitzy stuff.   By "art" I didn't mean the art auctions, I meant decorating the ships. I guess I am just old, they want to draw the younger crowd who want laser tag and race cars. Not to overgeneralize, but I do think with the current state of the economy, "old" people have much more discretionary income than those stuck with student loans, trying to buy first houses, etc.  They push us away to their own detriment.

Not being on the ship when you were I can't comment on what you experienced but I do know the last CDC inspection the Getaway scored 97. Doesn't sound like there is a cleanliness problem at all. 

[newmexicoNita]

17 hours ago, Ships R Great said:

 

wow, as we all know food is very subjective, but I would 100% disagree with you. Serving sizes, yes but quality wise I thing the food is much improved over say, 5 or 6 years ago. There was a time when the food was awesome, then a time that, for the most part it was pretty sad, now I think it is back to very good. I am disappointed in cut backs like no lox at breakfast on the buffet, but still think the food is anything bad. 

[mugtech]

12 hours ago, njhorseman said:

 

 

If you can wait until the absolute last minute to book that's great You can but most can't.

 

You've greatly overgeneralized the pricing strategy for NCL versus Royal. In fact every week Royal releases a bulletin with substantial inventory of last minute availability at greatly reduced prices.

Was only speaking for myself.  Right now I can book a 15 day trans Pacific cruise on RCCL Ovation in May of 2021 inside for $780 pp including taxes and port fees.  Often NCL Asia cruises are not available until 13 months before the sailing date.  NCL prices on inferior ships, Dawn and Spirit, are much higher.

[4774Papa]

The price comparisons that I have been making for a transatlantic from Rome to Miami in 2020 show that Royal Caribbean has, by far the best deal.   Princess and Celebrity are significantly  higher and NCL it closer to Celebrity than Royal.

[Zippeedee]

15 minutes ago, 4774Papa said:

The price comparisons that I have been making for a transatlantic from Rome to Miami in 2020 show that Royal Caribbean has, by far the best deal.   Princess and Celebrity are significantly  higher and NCL it closer to Celebrity than Royal.

If you watch those prices they will likely change, a lot. I booked the Bliss Panama Canal cruise for April 2020 back in January. As of today I have called and received three price drops, saving $900.  Price watching that cruise is my new hobby.

 

For the ill-fated Getaway TA last month, the price drops after final payment totalled more than half of what I paid for my balcony. After they sold off a huge lot of inventory to a tour group for what I was told by a participant was $800 each, the RCI Oasis was hit by a crane in dry dock, cancelling their TA,and the price went up again as they sold off much of the remaining cabins.

[Ships R Great]

On 5/31/2019 at 7:01 AM, newmexicoNita said:

wow, as we all know food is very subjective, but I would 100% disagree with you. Serving sizes, yes but quality wise I thing the food is much improved over say, 5 or 6 years ago. There was a time when the food was awesome, then a time that, for the most part it was pretty sad, now I think it is back to very good. I am disappointed in cut backs like no lox at breakfast on the buffet, but still think the food is anything bad. 

I don't mind smaller serving sizes.  I can never clean my plate because there is so much food.

[4774Papa]

One thing that I notice when on a cruise (any cruise) is the salt in the food.   I never use salt on my foot and prefer saltless or a small amount.  Dear Wife cooks that way at  home.

 

However, on cruises, I my legs tend to swell up a bit and I have been told it is because of salt intake.

 

Perhaps I should ask my waiter in the future for salt free food?

[luv2kroooz]

3 hours ago, 4774Papa said:

One thing that I notice when on a cruise (any cruise) is the salt in the food.   I never use salt on my foot and prefer saltless or a small amount.  Dear Wife cooks that way at  home.

 

However, on cruises, I my legs tend to swell up a bit and I have been told it is because of salt intake.

 

Perhaps I should ask my waiter in the future for salt free food?

Yes. Make the request when you book. They do a nice job in the dining room and specialty restaurants. You'll preorder tomorrow's dinner today and it works very well. For the buffet dining, you can pretty much choose things that ate more healthy. I've started doing this more recently and have been well pleased. Your food tastes like what it us instead of salt.

[IrieBajan54]

9 hours ago, 4774Papa said:

One thing that I notice when on a cruise (any cruise) is the salt in the food.   I never use salt on my foot and prefer saltless or a small amount.  Dear Wife cooks that way at  home.

 

However, on cruises, I my legs tend to swell up a bit and I have been told it is because of salt intake.

 

Perhaps I should ask my waiter in the future for salt free food?

 

Well, if you make that request, I don't think you'll be able to partake of the variety available for everybody else. But I guess you try and see how it goes.

 

Yes, there is a lot of salt in the food. Only solution I guess is to drink a lot of water.

Edited June 2, 2019 by IrieBajan54
adjust lines

[4774Papa]

7 hours ago, blcruising said:

Yes. Make the request when you book. They do a nice job in the dining room and specialty restaurants. You'll preorder tomorrow's dinner today and it works very well. For the buffet dining, you can pretty much choose things that ate more healthy. I've started doing this more recently and have been well pleased. Your food tastes like what it us instead of salt.

What do you mean book the cruise?  Or book the specialty dining?

[luv2kroooz]

2 hours ago, 4774Papa said:

What do you mean book the cruise?  Or book the specialty dining?

At the time you book your cruise, let your travel agent or NCL planner know that you have a dietary request. Your reservation will be flagged as such. Meals need to be pre-ordered one day in advance once onboard. So, you can't just show up in the dining room and ask for a salt free dinner. However, you can preorder a salt free meal from the regular dining room and specialty restaurant menus one day in advance. Once onboard, theyll do a wonderful job of helping you.

[newmexicoNita]

On 5/31/2019 at 6:09 AM, mugtech said:

Was only speaking for myself.  Right now I can book a 15 day trans Pacific cruise on RCCL Ovation in May of 2021 inside for $780 pp including taxes and port fees.  Often NCL Asia cruises are not available until 13 months before the sailing date.  NCL prices on inferior ships, Dawn and Spirit, are much higher.

Just let me chime in here for a second: it is pretty hard to try and get an honest price 2 years prior to sailing. Regardless of the cruise line the prices are going to vary a lot as the sailing date gets closer and second, what do you mean about inferior ships. What is an inferior ship to you? 

[mugtech]

10 minutes ago, newmexicoNita said:

Just let me chime in here for a second: it is pretty hard to try and get an honest price 2 years prior to sailing.  

It is impossible to get any NCL price two years before sailing in Asia.  I doubt the price I quoted for May, 2021, will be decreasing any time soon.  What is an honest price?

[mugtech]

13 minutes ago, newmexicoNita said:

 What is an inferior ship to you? 

One that turns the Spinnaker Lounge into cabins.

[4774Papa]

15 minutes ago, mugtech said:

One that turns the Spinnaker Lounge into cabins.

NCL ships like the Dawn and Star have the worst layout of any ships we have been on.  The Sun is a little better.

 

There are few places where you can enjoy looking out at the ocean.  Also, with no sunset bar (just outside the buffet) where you can have breakfast or lunch outside that is another poor design.  Instead, there is a fitness center and spa.  Of course, much is dedicated to the spa, which for NCL may be an income stream.