Son of a son of a ...

They cancelled all my reservations on the Escape due to a “system problem” and told me to pound salt.  

They shouldn’t dirty dog you after all your live reviews.  You gave NCL some good will on these boards.

Just curious ... how do 3 kids get out of school for a 14-day cruise in October/November?  Home schooled? 

Outdoor deck space is valuable and NCL felt the need to monetize it.  The additional revenue from the expanded Vibe will come.  People might complain about the crowded pool area, but NCL is not going to see the revenue impact until future bookings on the Encore go down.

I suspect that NCL is trying to cater to a larger audience.  If you want sun, then go on another of its ships or pay for the Vibe.  If you want karts and laser tag, then go on Encore.  

The unknown is whether passengers will substitute NCL ships or substitute cruise lines entirely.  NCL's crystal ball is broken at times ... the Joy was a miss; Alaska routes are a hit.  

That sucks.  Tortola and a sea day?  Boo

16 minutes ago, neffqueen said:

It is not dumb! It is what is popular now and technology advancements is the future. I am over 50 and my DH is also . He is looking forward to the laser tag and galaxy pavilion. My oldest son also is looking forward to it as we move with what is trending. No need to be so negative cause is not your thing. Im sure there are other areas, like the waterfront, to hang out and drink.

 

The concept of stalking and shooting your shipmates under the guise of fun is going to fade quickly when passengers cannot find deck space to bake.  I won’t call it “dumb,” but I don’t think it was smart either. 

1 hour ago, Turtles06 said:

 

Since the OP mentioned this is due to the Venice Harbormaster, perhaps NCL knows that the ship will be delayed leaving Venice. 

Likely due to the ban on cruise ships leaving from the usual port in Venice.

I'm sorry for you, OP.  If you searched the boards, then you would have learned that prices drop precipitously for the Escape out of NYC as the departure date nears.  This is one of the cruises where you book right before upgrades occur.  

For cancelled POC, you are refunded the port fees.  NCL is not obligated to provide additional compensation.  However, they may provide some very modest OBC if enough complain.  They should not charge you port fees at Bar if you are not able to get off.  We went on this itinerary last year and thought that Kotor was the least favorite port.  Yes, it is beautiful to sail into port, but the port itself was lacking.  

27 minutes ago, TheDougOut said:

 

You're saying the public deck space that was taken away (A and B) was relatively small?  Well guess what, it's about the same size of what's left of the public deck space (C).  So yeah, I guess it is relatively small.

 

 

 

 

Bird just came off a cruise and still has the pom poms in hands.  Discount accordingly 

Pretty sure we did the Sunset location.  You are right ... no corral that I recall.  The marine life and seascape were pretty cool.  My first SNUBA experience can be described in two halves.  The first half was familiarization, technique, and achieving a comfort level.  The second half was exploring.  I very much wanted to do it again that day, but there was no time.

We lost a young person on our tank because they were not comfortable with the regulator - some people kind of overthink breathing.  She went ashore and so did her parent so there was just two on our tank, which meant more time for us.  The diver was great and worked with those that needed help.  

It is definitely a cool experience.  We did it again in Cozumel and then in Grand Cayman.  

We did San Gervasio on our own by renting a taxi.  I feel we wrung out what we were interested in learning through a self-guided tour.  Read about the Mayans and ruins beforehand.  I prefer to stay on Cozumel so no experience in the mainland excursions.  

Depending on personal preference, Cozumel has world class diving.  Try SCUBA, SNUBA, or snorkeling.  It is absolutely gorgeous under the surface.

1 hour ago, MotownVoice said:

 

If that's true for you, that's so typically American.

I don't think it is a matter of nationality - it is a matter of vacation preference.  Folks cruise because they want to sample, not stay.  Cruising is not for people who wish to immerse themselves in the local culture.

The helicopters dropping the rich and famous off every 5 minutes during the fest

Here’s a pic from Nice

55 minutes ago, mertziek said:

We did a train tour in Cannes you get right off the ship that drove us around the area. Tickets were very reasonable. Then we walked around on our own along the boardwalk.  Very pleasant and easy day.  We even did a little gambling just so we could say we did.  For Palma, we took the NCL shuttle and walked around there, too.  Another pleasant and relaxing day.  Unfortunately the big cathedral was not open that day.

This.  We were there during the film fest and walked around the harbor, too.  Many beautiful yachts. Bring euro coins for restroom.

We book all our excursions through NCL.  Sure we overpay, but when an excursion goes south - and we have had only a few that were very poor - the shore excursion desk onboard was very receptive, understanding, and compensatory.  

Moving in the opposite direction ... seriously considered booking a mid-December cruise, but ended up booking a vacation package to Las Vegas. 

42 minutes ago, Brad Price said:

If you watch the youtube link you will know a long time ago Michael and I were very good friends. I am now 67 years old. No wonder I can't find ab obit in BC Canada

I’m sorry for his passing and your grief, Brad.  He made many people happy and forget their troubles with his talent.  The world is a lesser place without Michael.

Depends on the airport.  Flights out of BWI are direct and cheap.

If you are boarding later, then you may be SOL.  Reservations go fast.

We loved Venice.  And, farther off topic ... we are going to the Venetian in LV in December 😀  

What an odd font for the "c" in "Encore."  It is making my OCD flare.

18 minutes ago, DirtyDawg said:

 

Technically he's right. If you have a recession in North America a cruise company can move it's assets to Europe or Asia unlike a Auto manufacturer, for example. However, if you have a world-wide recession, I'm not sure if they can move those assets to Mars just yet.😉

 

But of course, we'd never be so stupid as to get into a world-wide recession again, would we? 🙄

 

Oh, the last time the planet got into a trade and currency war was back in the 1930's. Didn't they call that decade the roaring 30's?

 

A variable cost driver is the price of oil.  NCL and other lines were able to hedge, but the Iranians are tilting the current market.  Liquid NG might be more economical, but there are conversion costs and safety concerns.  CHENG might have some insights or thoughts.

Glad we did our cruise last year.  This issue has been simmering for a while.  

“Continued robust demand for our global brands along with our strong consumer focused value proposition, honed revenue management practices and best guest marketing strategy, enabled us to continue to drive ticket pricing higher which, when coupled with strong onboard revenue performance, resulted in record second quarter results,” said Frank Del Rio, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.