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Nola26

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    New England
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    Norwegian

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Cool Cruiser (2/15)

  1. You are on vacation, stop doing your own laundry. NCL runs a laundry special. Fill the bag and watch what happens! If you're Gold you get half off, yes even off the special price. Once you reach Platinum level you get a complimentary bag of laundry. If you're spending for the Haven you can give yourself a laundry splurge too. We are taking a 12 night cruise later this year. I imagine we'll use our complimentary and 1/2 priced bag perks. Packing a suitcase of primarily clean clothes is easy and really easy to put away once home.
  2. We did the small group tour in Naples, Almafi coast including Positano, big excursion does not go there. Florence Pisa - tour of the leaning statue area and on our own in Florence. In Florence the guide walked us to the meet up location, providing narration along the way. We loved having an afternoon on our own in Florence. We shopped, dined at an outdoor cafe (pizza and pasta) and saw some landmarks: David outdoor statue, etc. Fun Fact there's a tiny glove shop in Florence, just off one end of the bridge filled with jewelry shops. The shop is over 100 years old with a great selection of leather gloves that they will fit to your hands. Prices were very fair.
  3. I actually like calling the casino department directly to find out what cruise offers are available. In many cases I've had offers that I didn't pick up or know about. I've also been able to book Christmas week cruises that were normally blocked. What I don't like are the significantly reduced hours for the department, M-F and the admin fee, what a money grab. Celebrity nor Holland America charged such a fee. Princess wanted a $200 account deposit per person that would be OBC once I board, but I had no plans to spend that amount of money onboard so I didn't book with them, certificate gave me a choice Princess or Holland America.
  4. If you're sailing as a guest of the NCL casino water is included as a comp beverage through the casino. We order water when we order a beverage and have them for the room or to take into port. I think The Local is NCL's option rather than International Cafe.
  5. POA isn't indicative of NCL, its a very unique ship, crew and even beverage plan options. Try another ship/itinerary to get a real sense of NCL and Free Style Cruising. I recently hit the Platinum level with NCL and will be able to enjoy those benefits next cruise. Some of the items that can make a cruise a little nicer: complimentary specialty dining meals, bottle of water in the cabin, photos/store discounts and we really appreciate the discount or complimentary laundry service. Either as a way to pack less or just take clean clothes home, so nice. There are other perks, but those are some we've used with NCL. To answer the thread question I have cheated on NCL with both Celebrity and Holland America. Both were good but I still prefer NCL. Celebrity was a 4-night cruise on the Summit, so not likely a fair comparison to some of my weeklong NCL experiences. One thing I really missed on Celebrity was an option like The Local, 24hr eatery. The Summit has an indoor pool, Solarium that is for ages 16+. There is also a sauna in the ladies locker room in that area, a sweet no charge treat! Holland America was for Alaska and I think that is the best line for Alaska, great experience, no tenders and an awesome itinerary. Holland America is also serving sustainable fish and had several vegetarian vegan options at the pool side grill (veggie burger, portobello mushroom and even a beyond meat bratwurst) that I have never seen on a cruise ship. Buffet is served including someone coming by to get beverage orders (water, lemonade, bar, etc.) We chose the Have It All option, and I think that made the cruise a relaxing experience. Another big deal with Holland America: all ships have a retractable roof over the pool. I've often said I'd like to try Royal Caribbean, but so many reports disappointing food has changed my mind for now. Good food 3 out of 3 not sure why I'd risk disappointment. NCL beats them both on entertainment. Quality of musical performers as well as stage shows are the best I've seen at sea.
  6. If you're actually onboard on Christmas Day NCL does some nice and festive things. If there's a port stop keep in mind that few excursions will be offered, and shops may not be open. I've been on the Breakaway, Dawn and Pearl at Christmas. I thought the Pearl had the best decor given the grand MDR, but all were good. More recently I've been on the Celebrity Summit near the holiday and the decor wasn't nearly as festive and the NCL cruises were more fun. The NCL trips were 7 nights, Celebrity 4 nights so that likely makes a difference too. Our Pearl trip got extended due to fog in Tampa so keep that in mind, We were delayed 10 hours or so getting back to port because the ship was unable to pass under the bridge if visibility is poor. Lots of ships were impacted that day.
  7. I used in it San Juan, it was a city tour that ended at the airport.
  8. NCL is Freestyle so you don't have to reserve everything. Best to reserve for specialty meals but main dining room reservations are not required, available but unless you are particular for a place or time. I'm not even sure The Local takes reservations and I've only reserved the Asian restaurant onboard, but perhaps it's possible to do it ahead of time. Entertainment reservations for free shows will vary by ship, but I don't think I've ever been turned away from a show. Even for comedy club shows I've gotten in via the standby line.
  9. If you make a friend on the cruise you can bring a guest and still get your 2+2 meals. I sail solo sometimes and often meet a buddy via the solo meetups to grab dinners with so sharing a free specialty perk would be an option. I will have Platinum perks on our next cruise, so no first hand experience, but always learn things reading @BirdTravels.
  10. They will announce jackpots, some big ones on our 2019 cruise. I didn't get one but left with $1,000 in my pocket that cruise! YouTube ship tour videos are what I use to get a glimpse of the various slot machines on a cruise ship.
  11. Usually those meetups are for solo cruisers, not the same as a singles meetup. Yes some are single but many are just solo for the cruise. I was traveling sans partner, so not single but solo. I've made friends via the NCL solo meetups, arranged group dinners, happy hours, etc. I've also connected with other solos on excursions and met one of my buddies in the terminal security line!
  12. The Bliss is missing a basketball/sports court, fix that.
  13. I am just off the Celebrity Summit and have 10+ cruises on NCL. I would rate NCL as a better cruise experience, but would sail either again. NCL crushes on entertainment. Shows are much better, quality of bands and roaming entertainment is better. NCL Crew is friendlier and seem happier, creating a better cruise environment. I think the best crew + officers I've experienced was actually on the HAL Eurodam earlier this year. NCL has more complimentary options so MDR isn't your only "free" meal option. I prefer breakfast at The Local rather than buffet, Celebrity didn't have that option. Asian restaurant is a nice option for dinner or even a lighter meal. Celebrity has a better range and accessibility for complimentary beverages. NCL is solely in buffet, Celebrity had them in the pool areas (outdoor and Solarium) NCL MDR menus and food quality is better. I also like having several MDRs to choose from, they have different ambiance/feels so seems like dining in different places. We were big fans of the Manhattan room and the nightly entertainment that was often presented there, the dance floor would actually be used by cute kids and ballroom dancing couples alike. Not sure NCL still brings in the entertainment for that venue. Casino offers - I sail as a casino guest. NCL's is the only line I've seen charge an Admin Fee, making their cruises more expensive (others are just tax and port fees). Celebrity also offers me a better level room (Oceanview/Verandah), NCL Inside. Celebrity casinos are nonsmoking, big win vs. NCL. Celebrity buffet may have an edge, but theme nights on NCL keeps it close. Cabins are more luxurious and fresher on Celebrity. Summitt compares best to Dawn and Jewel class ships. NCL has not done a complete teardown and redo of those cabins so the old wooden built ins are still there giving a traditional or dated look. ESPN and ESPN on live TV for sports fans, don't recall having those inside the cabin on NCL. Solarium on Celebrity crushes NCL H20 adult area which may have hot tubs but no pool but may have a water feature. NCL also doesn't offer an indoor pool area (except Haven). I've been on the Summit and Dawn at holiday time, NCL again crushed it with holiday decor and theming. Shopping Summitt was thin on items/inventory. NCL never seems to be short on options to take even more money out of your pocket via shopping, sales, etc. NCL maintenance and cleaning. Overall I think NCL has a better handle on exterior maintenance and interior cleaning. I am not suggesting that Celebrity ships are dirty, but I've seen rust on those ships more readily than I've noticed on NCL. On Celebrity things like the elevators show wear, scratches, etc. on the Summitt and I've seen less of that on similar NCL ships. Free at Sea - most people focus on the drink package which we never take. We would not consume enough beverages to cover the taxes/tips on that program. We always take the Specialty dining, Shore Excursions and Internet. We tend to book excursions via the cruise line so this is real savings. Please note the $50 is a max per port for the 1st traveler on the reservation. You don't get $50 twice buy doing two excursions in a port. We've sailed enough with NCL that sprinkling in specialty dining is a nice way to change things up for a couple of nights. Internet package isn't something I typically purchase so the small onboard package is a nice treat. I use my phone when we are in port via a flat rate from my service provider so once I'm back on ship I'm not too stressed about having internet service. Airfare - we've taken this Free at Sea perk several times as now we're sailing NCL in Europe. Had nonstop on United to Barcelona and one connection to Athens. Third time coming later this year. Booked my own airfare for Celebrity cruise, found good rate/timing vs what Celebrity quoted online. Seapass - for NCL I recall getting the card via a stop in the terminal. On Celebrity it is waiting for you on your cabin door, easy and speeds embarkation.
  14. I've only taken two short cruises on Celebrity Summitt. However, I've taken 10+ on NCL and have Platinum. I do not consider Celebrity to be an upgrade over NCL except that the cabins are nicer/newer decor and potentially a bit bigger. I would give NCL the nod on food quality and variety especially with multiple complimentary dining options (MDR, Buffet, Asian and The Local) compared to Celebrity. The NCL buffet also does theme nights so if you're up for a Seafood, Mexican, etc. night you can plan to eat at the buffet vs MDR. NCL does not have set dining times and has 2-3 MDRs onboard (same menus). Those rooms can feel like dining in a different place from night to night. Celebrity seats you upstairs or downstairs based on your dining reservation selection, NCL wins on entertainment, both shows and on deck performers. They have actual comedy club spaces, so not all shows are in the theater, feels a bit more authentic. Holland America seems to be scaling back their offerings but based on my experience I would rate them higher than Celebrity. The production shows on Celebrity leave a lot to be desired. I think this is more a function on the leadership rather than the performers. Some of the performance decisions were baffling and that goes to your directors or perhaps producers if they're based on budget. Crew NCL crew/officers are much friendlier and actually appear happier. I have never sailed in a suite on NCL so my experience is from an Inside or Balcony cabin perspective. Celebrity's strategy is more about Classes of customers, Aqua, Concierge, etc. Rather than if they are loyal customers. Keep in mind I'm just Classic on Celebrity, so not exposed to perks just yet. We had a surprisingly awesome experience on HAL Eurodam to Alaska in May. Food was excellent and as non meat-eaters found their vegan, vegetarian and seafood options to be the best of the three lines. Fresh sushi on the buffet, vegan bratwurst and veggie burgers at the grill. Vegan sausage links available in the MDR breakfast and high-quality seafood on the MDR menu. They boast about their culinary council, and it shows. The buffet service is generally served rather than self-service, including staff to bring beverages to your table. Other than to clean a table I never saw a Celebrity staffer help a guest. On both NCL and HAL staff has carried the tray of an elderly guest to their table for them by an offer of assistance. I've even saw HAL officers to this for guests. I definitely felt HAL to be more upscale than Celebrity. In all three cases my cruise has been supported by a casino offer either from a land based casino or the cruise line (comp or discounted) in a non-suite cabin (Inside, Oceanview, Balcony). Bottom line my cruise line ranking for the lines I've experienced are: NCL, HAL, Celebrity. I would sail any of them again but would lean in based on that order. As always the offer, itinerary and schedule will ultimately dictate my selection.
  15. Thanks for sharing and taking care of the Summit. Looking forward to boarding her on the 26th! Santa visit looked adorable, we'll just look forward to seeing the ship dolled up for the holidays.
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