Booking shows online pre-cruise?

[shof515]

3 hours ago, RD64 said:

How and why did this happen? What happened to the good ole days of cruising where you would just wander down (or up) after dinner to watch the show.

this is not new. since the epic/breakaway class was built over a decade ago you needed to make show reservations before the cruise

[RocketMan275]

14 hours ago, cb2367 said:

I was thinking the same, but what I read was that reservations are based on latitude levels. I hope there is a fair way of making reservations such that everyone can get reservations for the shows they want to see instead of having to rely on standby.

The only way to ensure everyone can get reservations would be to increase the number of performances/seats.  There is a finite amount of space so what features would you suggest removing to accommodate this.

[zzdoug]

2 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

The only way to ensure everyone can get reservations would be to increase the number of performances/seats.  There is a finite amount of space so what features would you suggest removing to accommodate this.

Well, one "feature " could be selling tickets.....? I hope not  

 

Even though I'm in steerage without any status, I prefer knowing which shows I will be able to see in advance to having to arrive early to port and race to book on the app. I prefer to spend the morning in Miami and check in later after the crowds subside and my room is ready. 

[zzdoug]

Also it was a bit confusing making dinner reservations online when I didn't know which night the shows would be. I might have booked dinner during a show, hopefully it will be easy to plan entertainment around dining or vice versa. 

[RocketMan275]

34 minutes ago, zzdoug said:

Well, one "feature " could be selling tickets.....? I hope not  

 

Even though I'm in steerage without any status, I prefer knowing which shows I will be able to see in advance to having to arrive early to port and race to book on the app. I prefer to spend the morning in Miami and check in later after the crowds subside and my room is ready. 

 

29 minutes ago, zzdoug said:

Also it was a bit confusing making dinner reservations online when I didn't know which night the shows would be. I might have booked dinner during a show, hopefully it will be easy to plan entertainment around dining or vice versa. 

So how do  you propose reconcilling these conflicting options?

Tell us what you want NCL to do that would resolve those issues.

[zzdoug]

8 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

 

So how do  you propose reconcilling these conflicting options?

Tell us what you want NCL to do that would resolve those issues.

What I was trying to say is that I like the idea of booking in advance. 

 

I might feel differently if everything is full when it's my turn....?

Edited February 11, 2023 by zzdoug

[uneamie]

11 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

 

So how do  you propose reconcilling these conflicting options?

Tell us what you want NCL to do that would resolve those issues.

Easy....open up the reservations for restaurants at the same time for the shows. This way one can see what the time frames are and book accordingly. So far, the restaurant reservations opened first. I made many of mine in hopes that I picked the right times versus the show times....we shall see. 

[BirdTravels]

On 2/10/2023 at 4:41 PM, RD64 said:

How and why did this happen? What happened to the good ole days of cruising where you would just wander down (or up) after dinner to watch the show. All of this planning for every simple part of your cruise - months before your actual cruise - has removed all of the spontaneity. I can’t say for fact what I am doing tomorrow - because life is like that - let alone what I may / may not be doing six months from now while on vacation.

 

For NCL, it is nothing new. It has been that way since the launch of the Epic in 2009 nearly 14 years ago. 
 

It is the same on other cruise lines with big  and supersized ships.
 

It is all about crowd control. 800 seat theaters with 4500 passengers. You need to spread them out. 
 

You don’t have to make reservations. You can just wander up (or down) and stand by. You will be allowed in 10 minutes

to show time and can take seats no one else wanted. 

[BirdTravels]

15 hours ago, zzdoug said:

Also it was a bit confusing making dinner reservations online when I didn't know which night the shows would be. I might have booked dinner during a show, hopefully it will be easy to plan entertainment around dining or vice versa. 

Book dinners at 5:30 nightly. Go to the late shows. 

[BirdTravels]

On 2/8/2023 at 12:57 PM, uneamie said:

I can see it all now.........cabins above the Club balcony will be booking all the reservations leaving very little for the rest of us. 

On a BA+ ship like the Bliss, there are 95 suites and 1950 non-suites. The suites won’t keep you from booking. 
 

However, there will be a variable number of upper tier latitudes before true steerage. 

[uneamie]

13 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

On a BA+ ship like the Bliss, there are 95 suites and 1950 non-suites. The suites won’t keep you from booking. 
 

However, there will be a variable number of upper tier latitudes before true steerage. 

Yes, I considered the latitude tiers which can consist of a of people. I am only gold and not likely to reach much higher since we are not frequent NCL cruisers. But oh well. The thing is...while I understand giving Haven guest extra incientives and perks....they spend a huge amount of money for special treatment, I think that's where it should end. Most people book a cruise expecting to be able to experience all the "entertainment" that they say goes along with your marvelous vacation and they really don't advertise all that with "conditions"....you have to seek those out.  So that being said, I feel like we are entitled to reasonable expectations of being able to walk into a theater and get a seat without making a mad dash to the box office as soon as we board.  I never had any problems with seating on any of our other cruises so I am not sure it these issues are just on the Prima or if the reservation rules have changed. I don't keep up with all the changes.....but I do see a lot of complaints about them. 

Edited February 12, 2023 by uneamie