blackwing

1 hour ago, p5woody said:

We leave on our cruise Sunday April 7th, anybody been on the Getaway recently?  Wondering if the main dining rooms (Tropicana, Taste, Savor) have two lines one for reservations and one without. Thanks!

I was just off Getaway, the 3/24 sailing.  All three rooms have two lines.  One line is if you don't have a reservation and need to get a pager.  The other line is if you have reservations.

The interesting thing is, sometimes the pager didn't even buzz.  A host would walk around and find you if she remembered you.  If she didn't, she would look around and match the pager number.  That happened at Tropicana and one of the other ones, so I'm not sure why this happens sometimes.

It does make a difference.  I had 5:30 reservations every night we didn't have specialty.  Some nights we wanted to eat later and missed our reservation and had to get a pager, which was usually a 20 to 30 minute wait.  When we used our reservation time, we got seated immediately.

20 minutes ago, purplecow15 said:

Last week a woman at the dessert station took a piece of pie from behind the glass partition, brought it up to her nose. Gave it a noisy sniff, and then put it back. A man stuck his finger in the potato salad to check temperature. People sat on stairway steps 3 across eating and on their phones. People seem to be in their own little self centered world. 

I saw a kid reach in, grab a muffin with his hand, squeeze it, and put it back.  Then he did the same with a croissant before settling on a chocolate croissant.  I saw a woman put some watermelon on her plate (which had other food on it) and then pick up with her hands and throw it back.  Always take food from as far back as possible!

What's up with the kids sitting at the top and bottom of the stairs.  One side had a kid that stretched her legs all the way out.  The other side had three or four kids sitting next to each other.  There was a pathway that was the width of one person to get through.  I actually told them all to move.  I said "kids you are blocking the entire stairs, you can't sit here, you have to move".  They actually did.  I'm sure if their parents were around, I would get yelled at for talking to their kids because apparently, in today's age, there is a certain class of parents who don't teach their children who also think it is taboo for adults to talk to children who are not their own.

The long lines at the water stations and people sighing and getting upset when others fill multiple cups or large water bottles.  Why is there only one water and ice dispenser at each beverage station?  Why are there only four beverage stations at the buffet and why is there only one available late at night?  I learned to get water before the buffet closes because otherwise you're in a line of people trying to get water from the one dispenser.  And you have to wait for each person to try and get ice even though the ice is long empty at that hour.

FOOD:

Leading up to our cruise, I saw quite a number of comments saying the quality of the food has greatly declined.  I don't think I agree.  A cruise is what you make of it, and I didn't expect 5 star dining, I expected something which would make me happy.

Was there ever escargot as an appetizer on a daily or frequent or even occasional basis, or am I confusing this with another cruise line?  Because I didn't see it in the MDR at all, unless it was on the two days we went to Ocean Blue and Le Bistro.  The only escargot I had all week was in Le Bistro.

I really enjoyed the food for the most part.  Especially the lamb at Le Bistro and the cioppino at Ocean Blue.  The one thing I think NCL was a consistent miss with was fish.  Of any kind.  My wife said the sea bass at Ocean Blue was mediocre.  Then she got the dover sole at Le Bistro and promptly gave me half of it.  It was kind of tasteless.  And it tasted a lot like some bluefish entree I had for lunch in MDR, which tasted a lot like some kind of hawaiian fish (hoki) that I had for lunch in MDR on another day.  I know it must be hard to cook fish in mass quantities, so I must remember this for next time.

DRINKS:

When did the drink menus change, and why?  The bar menu in the NCL app, as well as bar menus posted online, still has all of the familiar drinks.  The bar menu has changed and some bartenders wouldn't make some of the old ones.  I completely struck out trying to get my favorite, a Rebellious Fish.  Isn't it vodka, passion fruit, orange juice, prosecco, maybe some Cointreau?  Every bartender said they don't make it anymore.  I thought it used to be NCL's signature drink!

Some bartenders would make me a Painkiller.  Some wouldn't.  One said they don't make it because they don't have the spiced rum.  I asked if he could use regular rum and he did.  It's rum, pineapple juice, orange juice, cream of coconut.  Just as good.  I never tried going up to a bartender and asking for it by ingredients, I wonder what would happen if I listed them and said use Painkiller proportions.  I was 100% on Bahama Mama, which seems fairly similar to Painkiller just without the coconut cream.

New drinks I discovered I liked were the Pineapple Surplus and the Sparkling Garden (vodka, elderflower, pineapple juice, lime juice, prosecco, agave).  Tried a Botanical spritz which was supposed to have basil in it and it basically tasted like a vodka grapefruit soda to me.

I also liked the Pineapple Coconut Mojito, the Raspberry Guava Mojito, and a Smoky Peach Margarita.

Now I am thirsty...

2 hours ago, KeithJenner said:

You are certainly getting past cruises mixed up. 10 years ago on NCL there would have been a “dress up or not” night or “Norwegian night out” which was only ever a suggestion that many people ignored. The actual dress code was always exactly the same and I have never seen a suggestion that people eat in the buffet due to dress on NCL.

 

The lack of those sort of restrictions is the reason we selected NCL for our first cruise over 20 years ago,

Ah, thanks for the correction.  I definitely think I remember the phrase "Norwegian Night Out" now that you mentioned it and my family did dress up.  I guess we were still in the mentality of having formal nights.

27 minutes ago, HowardK said:

People seem more rude lately- I was just at a hotel that had 20 minute delays to get an elevator due to one breaking.

We had 8 people (max) on the elevator, 4 more people wanted to come on and I said "you can't come on as it would exceed the weight limit"

The person proceeded to curse me out in front of his 2 young children.

 

18 minutes ago, WITraveler37 said:

Yes people are so much more pushy and inconsiderate. On the cruise we just got off of we had 8 adult sized people in the elevator, all of us with our suitcases as we were disembarking. The doors opened and a lady asked if there was room, we all said no and she said yes there is and proceeded to push her way in dragging her husband behind. Then there were the parentless 6 year olds in the buffet cutting in front of everyone and grabbing food with their bare hands. Can't expect them to know any better if their parents don't teach them but the severe lack of parenting I witnessed last week was baffling and doesn't bode well for our future. And I'm a parent (teenagers).

It does seem like there is a particular rudeness with elevators, doesn't it?  Elevators are crowded.  People want to get on elevators.  I was in one with a woman, we were going down from 15 to 6.  And yep, we proceeded to stop on every floor, either because people were getting on or people were getting off.  With each floor she would make loud audible sighs or comments like "Oh my God, are we really going to stop on every floor" or "who's getting off on this floor now" or "why can't I ever get one that doesn't stop".

Then there was the kid who was riding down with me from a higher floor.  I was going to 7.  He got off on 10 and before he got out, he made some woo-woo noises and then tried pushing all the buttons from 11 to 15.  It didn't work since we were going down, but he didn't know that.  I said "come on kid" and he says "oh sorry, my fingers slipped".  His parents taught him well.

Another behavior I witnessed... the small number of people in a motorized scooter who just go full speed, not caring how crowded the walkway is or whose toes they might run over.  You're expected to see them coming and get out of the way.  Granted, I'm sure nobody would want to be in one, and it must be frustrating to maneuver around all the people, but still.  It's a ship with 4,000 people.

4 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Are you suggesting that people who dress casual are rude?  That doesn't sound quite right.

No, I was saying 10 years ago, the NCL cruise I was on felt like a more refined group of passengers.  There's something elegant about seeing most passengers in formal attire.  Like the early days when cruising was a means of transportation to get from England to America. 

If this is the same cruise I think I am remembering, on the formal-suggested nights I think I remember the dailies saying that if you want to dress casual to eat dinner at the buffet.   For the most part, people complied.  They didn't turn anyone away in the MDR though.  Maybe I am getting my past cruises mixed up?

This time around, no mention of any formal or formal-suggested nights.  Since I hadn't cruised in years, I don't know when this change happened.  I wore t-shirts in the dining room, as did many others. 

1 hour ago, SeaShark said:

Are you certain that you are remembering NCL? They haven't had formal nights in over 20 years.

I don't know if it was a strict formal night or if it was formal-suggested, but 10 years ago I definitely brought two suits and two ties, which makes me seem to think there were two formal or formal-ish nights.  I also remember wearing a dress shirt to dinner for every other night.  

12 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Legal suits filed where?  São Tomé?  Suing whom?  The tour operator for promising to get the guests back on time, and failing?

 

NCL?  For what?  What contract did they breach?

I agree with you, any lawsuit they file would have zero merit.  But trust me, with the amount of publicity this is getting, some lawyer is going to offer to file a lawsuit for them for free.  The lawyer will say he will do it on contingency and get a cut of any money obtained.  Then hope that NCL will settle the case.

I can just imagine the other 6 people telling the South Carolina couple that Norwegian is going to have to reimburse them for everything, so it's easier if SC pays for everything so there is only one claim for reimbursement.  Or that SC should pay for it all since they are going to be the ones filing the lawsuit and get damages.  Ugh.  If I were SC I would definitely insist on Zelle payments every time.  All of these people are rich enough to go on a 2 to 3 week repositioning cruise from South Africa to Barcelona, so they should be doing the right thing and paying their share.

I definitely think NCL gets sued regardless by these people.  Hope the judge throws out the claim and forces the strandees to pay NCL's legal costs.

1 hour ago, omahabob said:

Mini golf? Didn't see that last year. Time to book another Getaway cruise I guess.

Sorry if I was confusing.  The mini golf course was there 10 years ago, and it was really fun.  Most holes had some kind of obstacle, not just the green and hole like what I remember on a RCCL ship.

There was no mini golf course last week.  Not sure when or why it was removed.  It's now just empty space.  On a cruise ship where space is at a premium, you'd think they'd find some better use of the space than just leaving it empty.

3 minutes ago, luc122 said:

 

https://nypost.com/2024/04/01/us-news/6-american-2-australian-cruise-ship-passengers-stranded-on-african-island-after-norwegian-cruise-refused-to-let-them-board/?utm_campaign=iphone_nyp&utm_source=pasteboard_app

 

Just read in the NY Post the passengers traveled to Gambia, which was the next stop on Sunday,  but the ship couldn’t dock there due to low tide. 
So now they’re making their way to Senegal for Tuesday, but they have to take a ferry, but the ferry hasn’t been running lately. told they’ll just get a little boat to take them, then it’s just a 4 hour car ride to the dock. 
 

this is becoming a real adventure! 

They'll probably end up all becoming friends for life after this series of misadventures.  The South Carolina couple with the credit card, I hope the other strandees are Zelling them money along the way.  I don't understand why someone would go ashore without a credit card.

Or have they always been, on the whole, like this?  Some of our early cruising experiences were on Carnival.  When we went on our first NCL 10 years ago, I had thought at the time that the Norwegian passenger on the whole was a bit more refined than the stereotype of the Carnival passenger.  There were formal nights, and passengers dressing up in suits and gowns was the norm and not the exception.  I know that NCL bills itself as a cruise line for families.  But I still want to believe that the passengers overall are very classy.

And then there were some incidents I witnessed last week on Getaway:

At the Mixx bar, an older lady turns to a middle aged man of Asian descent standing next to her.  He is waiting to order his drink.  She says to him very slowly and loudly, "EXCUSE ME".  He says "Yes, hello?"  She says "Oh good, you DO speak English.  I was worried."

Man walking in late to an art auction, making a beeline to a waitress at the front of room collecting empty champagne (prosecco) glasses.  Auctioneer is talking but the man just loudly says the the waitress "WHERE IS THE CHAMPAGNE".  I'm assuming he didn't have the bar package!

I walked into an elevator, where a man in his early 20s is chatting with a man of about 40 who is wearing a turban.  20 year old says "what country are you from".  40 year old (who did have a thick accent) says without missing a beat "United States of America".  20 year old gives this dumbfounded look and says "oh.  I meant..."  40 year old says "oh you mean originally?  India."  20 year old says "How is it?"  40 year old says "I wouldn't know.  I've only been there 4 times in the past 20 years."  Meanwhile, the 40 year old's 7-ish year old daughter just keeps repeating "it's crazy there, it's crazy".  I left the elevator before hearing the resolution of this conversation.

The best was the last night when I thought I was going to witness a fistfight.  There was a long line of people without reservations trying to get into the Tropicana.  The popular piano player Louis Razon was playing there all night.  One man was waiting in line and I think some little kids who were running around all over the crowded space must have bumped him.  He must have said something because the next thing I know, I hear shouting.  A woman is in his face yelling something like "Excuse me?  You do not get to talk to me like that."  There's some back and forth and she says "You are not allowed to tell me how I should parent my children."  Then her husband gets up and gets in the guys face and says to him something like "You need to back away.  You need to leave and sit down".  The parents go and sit on some bench.  The man (who wasn't talking loudly) must have been talking to the people he was in line with because all of a sudden I hear the woman yelling "excuse me!  I can hear you talking."  I went to the bathroom and when I came back, the parents were gone.  I don't know if they got seated or left.

I should not be surprised at all by any of these incidents, I think perhaps the answer is that NCL passengers are a slice of America, just like everybody else.

On 3/30/2024 at 3:26 PM, graphicguy said:

It gets even schmaltzy mentioning the tour operator was a high school football coach along with the pictures of the happy, allegedly agrieved couple.  

 

This looks more an more like a shakedown of NCL by the tour operator who screwed up.  They don't want to be on the hook for the guests they could not get back to the ship on time.  I'm convinced of that, now.

6 hours ago, Oakman58 said:

I'll say one thing, NCL is getting a whole lot of bad press because of this story.  This story even showed up on our local news, and I live in the Midwest.  Leaving U.S. citizens behind on an African island isn't going to bode well for NCL, and it doesn't matter who's right or who's wrong.  The way the press is telling the story, NCL is the bad guy.

This is what annoys me, the mentioning of him being a volunteer youth football coach and the pictures from their Facebook showing them all glamorous and happy.  Trying to get people to feel sorry for them.  And it seems like it is kind of working, at least to the general public.  Most people who read this story in the Daily Mail probably aren't experienced cruisers and don't know about the dangers of taking non-ship sponsored excursions.  All they see is "that cruise line left them behind".  Especially when these people's version of the story is "the captain refused the call and said to leave them behind".

I do feel sorry for them.  But these people are supposedly experienced cruisers and should have known better.  They can't now play both sides and take absolutely zero responsibility.  That's the part I'm not seeing here... them acknowledging that they should have done things differently.  It's all about the Big Bad Cruise Line leaving them behind.

Wife, 2 kids (teens) and I sailed on Getaway during her inaugural season in 2014.  Just got back, it was our first time sailing out of NY and first time to Bermuda.  We had received a text the day before letting us know our embarkation was delayed as the ship was late in getting back to port.  Text said to get to port between 3 and 6 PM on Sunday.  We got there just after 3, expecting the process to take hours.  It didn't.  Line moved fast and we were onboard before we knew it.  Parked our bags in the casino, explored a little, and went to dinner.  By the time we were done with dinner, our cabins were ready.

The seas were very choppy the first day.  I got seasick for the first time ever.  Ugh.  It was announced that we would be delayed to Bermuda for a full day, and wouldn't arrive until Wednesday morning, so they gave every cabin onboard credit of $100.  We also departed Bermuda on Thursday at 6 pm instead of Friday at 8 am, so they gave every cabin another credit of $100.  The extra day in Bermuda would have been nice, but we got $400 OBC instead, which my kids spent almost all of it in the arcade!

In Bermuda on the first day we took a taxi to Warwick Long Bay.  It was practically empty and the sand was soft and nice.  Then we walked along the path to Horseshoe.  I liked the various beaches and rock formations along the way.  Horseshoe was pretty crowded and the sand didn't feel as nice, it was more packed down from all the people.  My son was hungry so we walked up the hill and went to the first restaurant we saw, Gulfstream, where we sat on the patio and had some expensive but good pizzas.  While we were there around 3 pm we saw multiple ambulances headed down the hill to the beach.  We later learned that a cruise ship passenger, a man from either Getaway or the Celebrity Constellation died while trying to rescue an unrelated girl who was swimming and got into trouble.  The water was freezing, don't know why anyone would go so far out where they could get into trouble.  So sad for the family of the good samaritan who died.

On Thursday, nobody but me wanted to take the ferry to St. George ("it's too early and too far") so we just walked around Dockyards and did some shopping.  I wanted to go to the National Museum and take pictures from the Governor's House of the ship, but was again voted down.  Got back to the ship early and enjoyed the activities which were open.

Two more sea days.  Friday was really choppy and bad, everything outdoors was closed.  Saturday they opened the corkscrew slides.  I don't think the drop slides opened at all on the sea days, perhaps only when in port in Bermuda.

It's been a while since we last cruised, so I was surprised there was no Welcome Show.  I remember a welcome show where the entertainment team previews some of the entertainment during the upcoming week, and the cruise director introduces himself and the officers.  On some cruises I would see the cruise director everywhere and chat with him.  This time, I didn't see Paquito until the Thursday evening show.  Maybe we just didn't go to the right events?

The Illusionarium seems really underused.  There used to be a (paid) magic show most nights.  And I definitely remember having a (paid) Wine Lovers Musical lunch there.  Now it seems to mostly sit empty.

Million Dollar Quartet was fantastic, especially the guy who played Jerry Lee Lewis.  They also sang Broadway show tunes in a folk music style in the Illusionarium.  They should have done this show in the Theater.  The Illusionarium was packed, doors open 30 minutes before showtime, we got there right at that time and got some of the last remaining seats in the very last row.

I very much enjoyed Burn the Floor and was sad when it was announced that we had just seen the very final BTF show on Getaway which was leaving permanently after 10 years on the ship.  Last time I seem to remember them teaching a lot more dance classes, this time I only saw one on the schedule.  And only one night in Tropicana.

Ship itself looked great for the most part.  I did notice some changes.  Biggest change for us was the ropes course and mini golf.  I distinctly remember ziplining by a rock wall and over people seated below.  The rock wall is gone and I think the basketball court might have been expanded because now it goes all the way to the funnel.  10 years ago, a big deal was made about walking the plank that jutted out about 6 feet over the edge of the ship.  At the end, you pull a cord and it takes your photo.  I also remember a photographer taking pictures as we ziplined.  Since they no longer print out actual photos for preview, I guess this would be impossible to do with the plank.  The course also had a brown wood paint scheme to emphasize the pirate theme which went along with the pirate mini golf.  We were sad that the mini golf is gone... this was always a good thing to do together as a family.  Anyone know why it was removed?  It's now just completely empty space.  Seems like a waste not to have anything there at all.  The bungee trampoline and the spider climb are also gone.

The Grammy Experience bar got re-themed and is now a pour house, which I really liked.  The Flamingo Grill on 16 by the arcade got re-themed as American Diner.  One pleasant surprise was that the Shanghai Noodle Bar and the American Diner are now complimentary.  The lines for the noodle bar were always ridiculous.  We went at 9:45 just before closing and got seated.  The noodles in the Beef Chow Fun were the same noodles that my son had in the pad thai in the Main Dining Room earlier.  I had the Pork Char Siu noodle soup which was the same noodles but in broth and with three very tiny pieces of thinly sliced pork.  I didn't think it was worth the hype, but at least we tried it.

Overall, a great cruise.  Good memories of our first time on Getaway 10 years ago and made new ones this time.  We really liked the entertainers around the ship, especially Louis Razon and Nicos Duo.  Our favorite place to watch them was at the mojito bar.  My son also really really liked Howl at the Moon, which I'm pretty sure he can't go to on land.  We didn't go see them until their last night, and will keep this in mind for next cruise to look for them earlier.

I'm sure the port will be mobbed at 3, but we will probably try to get there as soon as we can.  Hopefully we can get our carryons into our cabins as soon as possible so we won't have to lug them to dinner with us.

2 hours ago, njhorseman said:

 

I'm not sure that it will be easy to get a taxi from Horseshoe Bay either because at this time of the year few people will be going to the beach so I wouldn't expect taxis to be waiting for passengers at Horseshoe right now.

Ah, I hadn’t thought of that.  I’ll plan on us taking the bus

These are good ideas, thanks!

Seems like we might do:

Tuesday - take taxi/bus to Warwick Long Beach.  Take some photos.  Walk along path to Horseshoe Bay.  Sit there for as long as we can stand it.  Perhaps go to Gibbs Hill Lighthouse.

It seems like a hike from Horseshoe to the lighthouse (maybe 45 minutes?)  Is it feasible to get a taxi from there back to the dockyards?  Can we catch the bus somewhere on the main road?  Or would we have to walk all the way back to Horseshoe?

Wednesday - ferry to St. George.  Walk around, see the Old Unfinished Church and other sites.  Too bad the dunking of the wench is seasonal.

Thursday - ferry to Hamilton.  Walk around.  Take bus or taxi to aquarium.

On whichever day we have some leftover time, will take a short walk from dockyard to Sea Glass Beach.

On the Getaway departing Sunday.  We have three days in Bermuda.  Family is me, wife, two teens.  Water seems too cold to swim and we aren't big fans of overpriced cruise line excursions.  Wife and kids don't have any appreciation for history or museums.  On most of our past cruises we haven't done that many excursions, we typically just walk around the port and browse the shops.

I'm kind of at a loss as to what to do for the three days.  Right now my plan is one day take taxi to Horseshoe Bay.  Son might swim (he's a little crazy) but the rest of us were just going to relax and sit on the beach.  Maybe read or play card games.  Second day I was thinking take the ferry (if there is one) to Hamilton and spend time just walking around Hamilton.  Third day I was thinking take the ferry (if there is one) to St. George and walk around.

These don't have to be full days out, just a little something so we can get off the ship and see a little bit of Bermuda.

If there are any private non-NCL excursions anyone recommends, would love to hear some ideas.  I personally would love to see the aquarium/zoo but not sure if the family agrees.

Re Carnival vs. Norwegian.  I haven't been on Carnival in years, but my philosophy is always that a cruise is what you make of it.  To me even a "bad" or "not as good" cruise is better than sitting at home or at work!

I think I would look at the ship amenities and decide what you like best.  I would definitely consider one of the newer Carnival ships with lots of features and options over one of the older Norwegian ships.  

8 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

What's wrong with walking around Nassau? Mobility? I've taken a few strolls along the streets of Nassau and thoroughly enjoyed seeing what it looks like - far from the port, so I could get an actual taste of the city. Not the touristy gobbledigook every port in the Caribbean seems to have.

I think it's safety.  There's currently a State Department travel warning for the Bahamas.  I think Level 2, so not horrible.  But it seems like Bahamas has gotten worse over the years.

The regular bar package is supposed to include all drinks $15 or less.  If it's more than $15, you pay the difference.

If you and your wife got the same drinks and one of you got charged some extra amount over $15 and one of you didn't, that seems odd.

7 minutes ago, n4w said:

The "sensitivity" has been deleted by mods.

Ah, I understand now.  No worries here... wife and daughter will be in balcony room.  Son and I will be in inside room.

32 minutes ago, IAcruising said:

Whatever you do, make sure you pay the small gratuity for the FAS specialty meals on both cabins. Otherwise, the other cabin will not get the specialty meals, and your daughter will not be able to give hers to your wife.

 

Yes, we did so.  The balcony cabin gets two meals each and the inside gets one each.

38 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said:

Before this thread reaches DEFCON 1, option #3 is what you are looking for. 

Thanks for the quick answer!  We will ask for duplicate cards.  And sorry, it appears this topic might be sensitive, not sure why?

Haven't cruised in seven years.  Kids are bigger now so we decided to book two cabins.  Wife doesn't drink and didn't want to pay the gratuities for a bar package she wouldn't get much use out of.  Teenage son doesn't drink much soda and doesn't want the soda package either.

So for booking purposes, I booked my daugher and I into one cabin and took the bar/soda package for the two of us.  Wife and son are booked in the second cabin and did not take the bar/soda package.

For sleeping purposes, my wife wants our daughter in her room.  Our cabins are not right next to each other.  Hers is a balcony.  Mine is an inside and because of the layout, I have to go down a little corridor.

This is our first time ever cruising with two cabins, so I have questions:

1) If I go to guest services on Day One and have them key my daughter's card to my wife's room and my son's card to my room, will my daughter lose her soda package?

2)  Can I have them key our cards so they open both cabins?

3)  If no to 2), can I get duplicate cards that will unlock the cabins (but not have charging abilities, in case they are concerned about unauthorized charges or duplicate use of my bar package).

Thank you!

I too am curious about "poor assistance while getting breakfast". Does NCL normally provide a personal assistant to go around with people in wheelchairs while they dictate what they want? Because isn't that what OP as her husband can be doing?

If it's more an issue of access, as in, the hallway was too narrow or there were no tables open that could accomodate a wheelchair, that I can understand. But if it is an issue of "nobody got my food for me", then that's on OP.