Jump to content

Biffire

Members
  • Posts

    246
  • Joined

About Me

  • Location
    Small town in upstate NY
  • Interests
    Cruising, golfing, country living
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    NCL
  • Favorite Cruise Destination Or Port of Call
    Carribean

Recent Profile Visitors

559 profile views

Biffire's Achievements

Cool Cruiser

Cool Cruiser (2/15)

  1. I wish they would have hot tubs for the young children. My last cruise was on the Joy in May of 2023. I am 60 something male, and a big part of my cruise experience is spending time in the hot tubs. A few times I would be in the hot tub, and about 5 little girls jumped in the hot tub, splashing, diving, coming up way to close to me. The parents thought it was fine. There is a big hot tub for adults only in Spice H20, but it is undercover. My wife enjoys the sun, so we had to be separated. I think having a hot tub for children, and their family would be a good idea. Some NCL ships designate hot tubs for adults only, with one for families. Kids love the warm water, but do not understand it is not for swimming, splashing diving underwater.
  2. We u8sually have our TA book our specialty dining reservations for us. 2 FAS and 2 Platinum, never been charged in advance like some people have been. In my experience different ports to the priority embarkation differently. One time we were shown to a priority line, but ended up at the same place as our friends who were not priority we had a shorter line, but fewer staff.
  3. You get the 2X2 dinners each cruise you take once you earn platinum status.
  4. I think the concerns are valid. They will continue as long as the cruiselines are sailing at/near capacity. They lost boat loads of money due to the pandemic. As long as we cruise lovers continue to pay more money for a lesser experience they will continue the trend. Many of us are hooked on cruising and we tell our friends and family how great it is, increasing their customer base. I still enjoy cruising, although we only go once per year. I think airfare is getting out of control as well, which affects the overall cost of our cruise vacations, and that applies to a lot of other cruisers. I did a little math, estimating the costs of 3 meals per day, 7 nights lodging at an ocean front resort, entertainment tickets, drinks etc. So far cruising is somewhat of a value. I do believe if NCL ever drops the free at specialty dining and drink packages that I would have to reconsider my loyalty to NCL.
  5. I did the free tour for Platinum members, on the Joy last May, which I believe is shorter than the paid tour. It was interesting, a couple of things to keep in mind. There were 24 people in our group, Some of the areas are noisy. Trying to hear/understand some one with a soft voice, accent, or not being right next to the various people who give the tour can affect your enjoyment. I will go on the free tour, but would not pay the $139 X 2 people. But that is just me. If you want to hear the tour guides, stay close.
  6. We used to always head to the buffet, which is normally a zoo on day one. We got tired of fighting for a table, and with people who kept their bags taking up room. Now we head to whichever MDR is open, and sit and relax. As soon as we sit down, we go into vacation mode, can't wait for November.
  7. We tried Q on the Joy in May of 2023. I had the pitmaster platter plenty of food. I enjoyed it, however I am certainly not an expert in BBQ, your standards may be much higher. We also stopped by a few times just to listen to the music.
  8. Some of the specialty restaurants do have a few entrees that you have to pay an extra charge for. We went to the seafood venue, and I used our FAS but had to pay extra for the lobster, (was not worth it).
  9. I really enjoy the salad bar. The pineapple is so good. I could happily just eat those and still enjoy it, but luckily there is always several meat choices.
  10. Many of those have been consumed by me in a hot tub.
  11. They go down very easily on a warm afternoon on the pool deck!
  12. Being on the ocean The all inclusive aspect Lots of food already paid for The Free at sea beverage package Multiple ports in one week Entertainment options Being away from the work cell phone Always feel safe on the ship The hot tubs
  13. Food is subjective, I never have an issue finding something I like. I have to admit we are not picky or foodies. I have never encountered anything inedible.I did have one meal where I did not order an entree, just a few appetizers, because there were several that I really wanted to try, and they are usually pretty small. I finally made Platinum, so with the 2 free at sea specialty dinners, and the 2 latitude dinners, I only eat in the MDR 3 times per cruise. We always make our specialty dining reservations months in advance. The down side is you do not know which nights a favorite dish might be offered in the MDR, First world problems I guess.
  14. We have enjoyed two cruises on the Dawn. It is my belief that the NCL ships all utilize the same menu, with the same recipes. The crew all rotate on and off the ship every few months, with constant turn over. Some meals will be better than others, But I don't think anyone could draw a conclusion that food on one ship is better than the food on another ship. Will there be better food production crews sometimes? probably, but due to the constant crew rotation, I think that any differences are only temporary.
  15. I am hearing about staff shortages on NCL. I doubt they will be devoting a lot of personnel resources to patrolling the pool deck with a watch to automatically remove towels and belongings from the sun loungers.
×
×
  • Create New...