The Traveling Man

3 hours ago, KeithJenner said:

A brief history of the latitudes meals:

 

Before 2017 each platinum guest got a voucher for a meal for two (in Cagneys or Le Bistro from memory). This meant that a couple got two meals for two. Solos were usually allowed to split theirs to two meals for one.

 

Then in 2017 they changed it to two meals for two regardless of the number of people. This meant that a solo now got two meals for two but they were no longer allowed to split them (as this would have meant four meals). The losers were groups where there were more than 2 platinums as they still only got the 2 meals. There must have been some complaints as soon afterwards the T&Cs were changed to the wording quoted earlier in this thread to allow more  meals for these groups.

 

The main change to the meals recently has been to allow them to be used everywhere.

Thanks.  My memory was a bit fuzzy, but that’s about my recollection of it, too.

On 5/1/2024 at 11:55 PM, KeithJenner said:

You actually do get more if there are more than two platinums in a cabin.

Sorry, I may have misread the original question.  I believe you may be right.  If only two of three or four in a cabin are Platinum or above, you only get two certificates per cabin.  I have never traveled with three or more Platinum members in the same room, so my response was based solely on what I heard a Cruise Next manager say.  Maybe I misunderstood them or maybe they were wrong.  Either way, good on you if you have received more than the standard two, and my apologies if I misled anyone.

15 hours ago, KeithJenner said:

I can’t check these things as the website isn’t working properly on my phone, but that looks like the original wording before they changed things when people started complaining after the latitudes update in around 2017z

It probably occurred at the same time they made some other major changes to the Latitudes program on 1 February 2017.

On 5/1/2024 at 11:55 PM, KeithJenner said:

You actually do get more if there are more than two platinums in a cabin.

Actually, no you don’t.  Whether one of the guests in a stateroom is Platinum or above or whether both the guests in a stateroom are Platinum or above, the stateroom receives two certificates, each one good for dinner in a specialty restaurant for two persons.  One of those certificates allows you to receive a bottle of wine, the other certificate does not.  This is how it has been on NCL ships for about a decade.  This is what my wife and I have received on about 25 cruises since we became Platinum.

4 minutes ago, hallux said:

Re-read their post, they had the EARLIEST!

Yes, I noticed that.  If they had been willing to carry their own luggage, however, they could have joined the line to debark much earlier than they did.

6 minutes ago, justsayinisall said:

Hi Everyone. Back in January my hubs and I took a 7-day cruise out of Galveston on the Prima. All arrangements were made via NCL as this was a "free cruise" received via Encore casino, in Boston. NCL handled the flight and port transfer arrangements. We were scheduled to dock at 8am and our flight home was scheduled at 12:25pm. I didn't think that would be enough breathing room but whatever, NCL knows what they are doing, they do this all the time, or so I thought. 

 

The ship docked early because of high winds and we were given the earliest departure time for people with checked luggage, time was 7:30am.

 

Well, I think NCL failed to realize how many people carried off their own luggage (they were allowed the first timeslot to exit the ship). We waited for our assigned tag color to be called and got in line. We entered the line around 830am (again, when we were called).

 

It took us close to 2 hours to get off the ship because of the line, that dang thing wound through the halls, in one side of the casino and out the other, it was insane!

 

If you ever sailed out of Galveston, you know that it's about an hour to the airport. Long story short, we missed checking our luggage, therefore also missed our flight, by THREE MINUTES!!

 

Delta was not able to get us on another flight until the following afternoon so we ended up getting a hotel for the night and begged our pet-sitter to stay another day.

 

I recently filed a claim with Aon (the insurance that NCL added to my reservation without asking-I thought it was a lucky break lol) and Aon said this: "Please provide written verification from Norwegian Cruise Line and/or the bus transfer company stating the duration and the circumstances surrounding the delay of your arrival at the airport causing you to miss your flight."

 

I contacted NCL guest services, via email, and informed them what I needed. According to the supervisor (I had to escalate), NCL Prima was in port early, people were lining up to exit ship at 630am, and they will do nothing, not even give me a letter explaining that there was a delay.

 

THEY made all the arrangements; I don't understand them. I'm just disgusted and I'm wondering if any of you nice people know where I can go from here? 

 

I also have a TA scheduled with NCL in December that I'm seriously thinking about cancelling, do you guys know if I get my full deposit, and other payments I've made already, back?

Welcome to Cruise Critic.  Sorry to hear about your difficulties.  Unfortunately, your experience is not atypical.  This forum is filled with many stories similar to yours. 

First, NCL has no control over the airline.  They simply are acting in the place of your travel agent to arrange your flight.  Once you are booked on a flight, they essentially wash their hands of the matter.  If problems occur, "that's on you" seems to be their attitude.  This is unfortunate, of course, but not uncommon.

NCL also serves as an agent for you in arranging travel insurance.  NCL does not furnish the insurance, so they can claim no responsibility for the actions of the insurance company.  That company may deny a claim or make it difficult to justify a claim, as you indicate that yours did to you.  Once again, sorry, but ship happens.

There are a few ports which have earned a well deserved reputation for causing delays upon debarkation.  We have not sailed out of Galveston, but we have heard of this happening to others who did.  It seems to be a frequent occurrence in Miami, particularly on cruises that visit certain Caribbean or South American countries.  We experienced an almost two hour delay exiting the Pr1ma in Southampton, England in September, 2022.  It happens sometimes, so if you have a tight connection, be aware.

Knowing that you had a bus to catch, a long commute to the airport, and a relatively early flight, you might have asked for an earlier debarkation time slot.  Yes, I know, hindsight is 20/20, and you probably had no prior indication of the bottle neck that could occur.  Unfortunately, now you know.  We learned that lesson the hard way, too.  On that Pr1ma trip to Southampton, we had booked a National Express bus from Southampton to Heathrow.  We thought that more than two hours would be plenty of time to catch a taxi to take us the half-mile from the pier to the bus station.  Boy, were we ever wrong.  We stood in line almost two full hours just to get off the ship.  When we missed our bus by just a couple of minutes, we ended up paying another $175 for that taxi to take us all the way to the airport.  NCL turned an equally deaf ear to our predicament. 

So, all of this is not what you asked for, a suggestion as to how you might pursue a successful resolution of your situation.  I wish I had better news for you, but unfortunately I don't.  I can give you the contact information for someone at NCL who may be able to help, but I would caution you not to get your hopes too high.

Ms. Katty Byrd

NCL Senior Vice President, Guest Services

kbyrd@ncl.com

Good luck and best wishes.  I hope you spend some time reading many of the other threads on this forum, picking up tidbits of helpful advice from others who have gone this way before you.

10 minutes ago, luckybecky said:

 

Agreed. On Cruise Deck Plans, the occupancy for each ship is listed at around 4000 give or take a little, Aqua being the highest. I wonder if the lower number you are seeing on NCL is the new, updated number which would confirm what the Cruise Next person said. She gave no indication of what they are doing with the excess staterooms.

To the best of my recollection, the 3100 and 3200 figures for the Pr1ma and V!va are the same numbers for rated capacity at double occupancy which NCL have claimed for these ships for several years.  Just like other ships, however, they frequently sail with hundreds more passengers than their rated capacities, as sometimes a third or fourth passenger is also booked in a stateroom rated for just two.  Perhaps the numbers you saw were from a third party website which took into account this anticipated over booking.  The earliest announcements about the "Leonardo class" ships, however, estimated the rated capacity as being approximately 3000, or about 75% that of NCL's larger ships.  The gross tonnage of this new class of ships, though, is about 85% to 90% of the larger ships.  That would seem to indicate that the Pr1ma class ships would have more room per passenger, but that has not been the gist of most reports from those who have sailed on both the Pr1ma class and the Breakaway class ships.

29 minutes ago, luckybecky said:

We attended a Cruise Next presentation on our recent cruise on the Spirit. The presenter said that they have heard the complaints about overcrowding and are reducing capacity on the Prima, Viva, and Aqua.

You cannot always rely on information presented by members of the Cruise Next staff.  Several years ago, while the Pr1ma was still in the design phase and known simply as the lead ship in the Leonardo class, Cruise Next Manager Paloma made a presentation which showed an artist's rendition of how the new ships would look, along with some data that had been made public about them.  The photo rendering showed the general outline of the ship, with the wide walkways around the back and sides of the ship.  The infinity pools on deck 8 were shown and we were told that the Haven would occupy almost the entire rear third of the ship.  So far, so good.  The rendering did not show the race track or slides, however, so Paloma opined that these ships would be more sophisticated, more in tune with a more mature audience, with fewer kiddie attractions and a more upscale vibe.  Look how that turned out.

16 minutes ago, luckybecky said:

 

I haven't followed that thread, but for what it's worth I'll add this information:

 

We attended a Cruise Next presentation on our recent cruise on the Spirit. The presenter said that they have heard the complaints about overcrowding and are reducing capacity on the Prima, Viva, and Aqua from around 4000 on each ship to approximately 3000. When exactly this is happening, she didn't say. But if true, it is certainly good news!

The rated occupancy for the Pr1ma is listed on the NCL website at about 3100.  For the V!va it is about 3200.  The Aqua is listed at almost 3600.  The Aqua has not yet begun to sail, but the Pr1ma and V!va frequently travel with 100, 200, or even more additional passengers.  This happens as sometimes three or four guests are booked in rooms that are rated for just double occupancy.  It would be great if NCL actually does reduce the capacity on board, but it seems unlikely that they would do so by removing staterooms and replacing them with lounge areas.  In fact, several NCL ships which previously did have lounge areas had those lounges removed during a dry dock and additional staterooms were added.  Unfortunately, I'm afraid that the information you received may amount to little more than wishful thinking.  We can only hope that I am wrong and that the capacity of these ships actually will be reduced.

29 minutes ago, NorthChannel said:

I'm Irish (born and bred, not hyphenated),grew up in inner Dublin and worked at St. James' Gate as a student and I've never heard of 'Guiness Day'. Sounds like one of those made up American 'holidays'. 

As noted previously, it actually was known as "Arthur's Day" as in Arthur Guinness.  A quick internet search will  provide details.

2 hours ago, Anoynmous Phoenix said:

Thank you again, bon voyage and I hope many more of you continue to become Ambassadors.

 

Aroha Nui

 

Mike

Casofilia and Anoynmous Phoenix

Thank you for all the great info you have shared with us over the years.  We'll miss you, Mike.

James

7 minutes ago, Panhandle Couple said:

I have done some quick math, and for a ship of 4,000 people, if they all show up at the same time, the line is roughly 2 miles long.  No cruise terminal is designed for that, cattle switchbacks or not.

That's why NCL assigns check-in times, to spread out the arrivals over a few hours.  If we all followed the suggested times, the lines would only be so long if a problem arises with the X-ray machines, the WiFi connection, etc.

2 hours ago, The Traveling Man said:

We really enjoyed the your to the original Olympic village and the historical museum associated with it.  We actually have been there twice.  On one of the tours we also visited an Agroturismo farm for lunch.  Great food, wonderful educational experience.

Sorry for my typo.  Obviously it should have been "tour" not "your."

7 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

 I doubt if most terminals could provide a waiting area for early arrivals.  Wonder what would happen if the cruise lines charged for the early arrival times?

Now you've gone and given them a idea.☹️

10 minutes ago, realnice46 said:

Just received email this morning about itinerary’s changes for Getaway June 16-27 Greek Cruise. They eliminated Corfu and replaced with Katalon/Olympia Greece. Very disappointed. I also posted on roll call but it’s very dead so I thought I would post here as well. Back to the drawing board. NCL said they would list their tours May 10. Also some changes to port times, that are good thing. Anyone with suggestions of what type of tours for new port?

We really enjoyed the your to the original Olympic village and the historical museum associated with it.  We actually have been there twice.  On one of the tours we also visited an Agroturismo farm for lunch.  Great food, wonderful educational experience.

4 minutes ago, Ellis1138 said:

 

I happen to be a weirdo who enjoys being out in cold, damp and dreary weather, so as long as it isn't icy or lightning. But yeah, I had a similar thing on the Escape for a New England/Canada cruise, where I was out in the hot tub on deck 19 by myself in the pouring rain. Or where I was the only one in the pool on the NCL Sun in Alaska when the outdoor temperature was 30 degrees.

 

But yeah, our sailing on the Prima is a holiday one and probably very full, so I expect the food venues to be zoos. We'll find out in June/July.

Almost half of the seating area intended for the Indulge Food Hall is outside.  When we were on the Pr1ma, the sunshades / awnings were unable to keep the rain off the outdoor seats, so their chair cushions were drenched.  Nobody would want to sit on them.  The crew eventually roped off the area and closed all the outdoor seating for the food hall.  That forced everyone inside, making it difficult to find a seat during lunch.  It may have been a little less crowded at dinner, when other restaurants also were open.  Lunch in the food hall during cold or rainy weather, though, is going to be a real challenge.

27 minutes ago, Sailing12Away said:

Not counting the Galapagos as that's an entirely different entity in itself, our next Celebrity trip we're doing an Aqua cabin. Not because we enjoy the spa (have never stepped foot in one in over 12 trips), but because the price for the Retreat is egregious and the ship we'll be on wasn't even retrofitted yet - so you're paying top level suite prices for a restaurant only. We opted to try Aqua as it will give us a private place in Blu to go to, so treating it like the "Haven Light" approach that others have done with NCL. We'll see how that goes.

Sounds like a good approach.  The only X ships we have sailed are the Edge class.  The Retreat staterooms there are night and day different from the standard "Infinite Veranda" rooms.  The lounge also is spectacular.  I agree that in recent years the price of Retreat rooms has gone out of sight, so our last few X trips have been in Verandas.  We really miss the wonderful dining experience of Blu, though, so we may follow your suggestion and go Aqua next time.  The staterooms are the same as standard, and we likewise don't get much benefit from the spa, but access to Blu may make it worth the money.  Also, too bad that NCL doesn't feature dining experiences to compare with X specialty restaurants like Eden or Le Voyage by Daniel Boulud.

7 minutes ago, Distinctive-Destinations said:

Kind of a related question: what is with the people that camp out and monopolize the tables? Eat and GTFO. Don’t play cards, don’t read, etc. Other people need the dining tables to…dine.

Kind of like chair hogs?

14 minutes ago, Sailing12Away said:

See, and that's my issue - I have never been able to go 'off menu' in the Haven restaurant without feeling guilty like I'm asking someone to hand roll bucatini from scratch as they stomp on the grapes to make my wine to pair with it. Even trying to talk to the concierge ahead of time and pre-plan for later in the week... it's always a hesitant "well, yeah, I guess we could maybe sort of possibly, I'm not sure, we'll have to let you know". Had chatted with a F&B manager once during one of the meet & greets and she said it would be no problem to get Indian food up there one night, but every time we asked we were always told to just go to the buffet. So not sure if we're asking the wrong people at the wrong times, have had bad luck or caught crew at bad moments, or if we just need to put our NY foot down and say "I want xyz on Thursday night - make it happen."

 

I used to feel the same way.  My attitude got adjusted after having a few dinners with officers.  WOW, did those folks go off menu.  Remember the diner scene in "When Harry Met Sally" when Meg Ryan spent about five minutes explaining exactly how she wanted her food prepared?  Meg was a piker compared to some of the NCL officers with whom we have dined.  Sauce on the side.  Rice instead of noodles.  Grill the meat instead of broil it.  Broccoli instead of green beans.  They would go on and on, and not just the GMs and Captains.  After a few times of listening to both senior and junior officers request all kinds of menu substitutions, I lost my inhibitions to do the same, particularly when dining in the Haven or a specialty restaurant.  Try it.  It works.

4 minutes ago, Sailing12Away said:

Too bad their actual wine choices don't compare though... Service on Celebrity hands down, but actual wine choices - NCL hands down. The only place you can get decent wine on Celebrity is within Luminae, not even in the Retreat lounge. So unless you're eating dinner - good luck.

Some of the wines on X, notably those available in Luminae or the Retreat Lounge are quite good, IMO.  I would say they compare favorably to the wines available on NCL with the standard beverage package.  Some of the wines served in the Haven or available with the Plus package, though, can be better than the typical wine on X.  Or maybe my palate just isn't sophisticated enough to know the difference.

1 minute ago, 7Contraveler said:

Good morning Every1,

 

been sailing with ncl for a while now..im kind of confused. If both my wife and i are platinum members, do we each get 2 dining vouchers for 2? Ive heard solo people get vouchers for 2 and they invite someone along with them. So shouldn't we each get 2 separate vouchers? 
thanks in advance

No, the benefit is per stateroom.  If one or more person in a room has reached the Platinum level or above, the room receives two certificates, each good for dinner for two.  You do not receive additional coupons even if there is more than one Platinum member in the room.  You also do not receive additional coupons if more than two persons are booked in the room. 

On 4/30/2024 at 8:41 AM, Sailing12Away said:

To me, the idea of going to the buffet during prime times causes anxiety.

Agreed.  Out of more than 340 evenings spent on board NCL ships, I think we have eaten dinner in the buffet maybe once or twice.

14 hours ago, roddy good boy said:

Wow! I haven’t experienced a somollier since my Celebrity days! It was a treat.

Only a few of the crew members on X with the sommelier title actually are certified sommeliers.  The rest are wine stewards in training.  Nonetheless, the crews on X ships have a significantly greater ratio of certified sommeliers per passenger than you find on most NCL ships.  They also usually have several dozen wine stewards with the sommelier title on each ship, so several in each restaurant.  The wine service on X ships is head and shoulders above that on NCL, IMO.

14 hours ago, Sailing12Away said:

Ahh but that's the beauty of Luminae which makes it "better" - you have not only that menu, but MDR and Blue available to you every meal every night. 

 

I found the meals from their menu too foo foo, but hubby and MIL loved it. So I often picked something from MDR but had the super attentive service of Luminae. Service in Luminae is heads above even Haven. Pillow service, bread girl, somollier visiting every time not just when you ask....

Thanks for your thoughts on this.  I likewise found the Luminae restaurant offerings lacking.  When we sailed in a suite on X, we ate most of our meals in Blu, instead.  It just had a more soothing vibe and the food was outstanding.  One time the F&B director stopped by our table to ask why we weren't up in Luminae (reserved exclusively for Retreat guests, i.e. kinda like Haven).  We explained that Blu suited us better.  He just shook his head and implied that as suite passengers we were supposed to dine in Luminae.  We finally did break down and have one more meal up there.  I still was not impressed.  Yes, I know this is the NCL forum, not X, but it's fun to make comparisons.

1 hour ago, Ellis1138 said:

I do go on a cruise with the basic notion that we might not be able to go where the itinerary says. But I use cruises as a "sampler" for "Do I want to come back here by airplane and do an in-depth vacation here?" 

 

We're booked on the Prima for the Southampton/Norway/Iceland itinerary and I have my fingers very crossed that we'll be able to port at Geiranger. I booked an NCL excursion at Isafjordur, so that it will be easily refunded when the Prima somehow doesn't manage to make it. Most everything else is "get off the ship, walk to here, look at that, check this museum, eat at cafe" kind of stuff. 

 

I've been watching the Prima Live TA thread and, aside from embarkation chaos, am somewhat worried about the lines and waiting times for the MDR and specialty restaurants. And that they tried to cram the Latitude party in a small space. Another trepidation I have is that when I check the actual port schedules on the port websites, a few of them have the Prima coming and leaving at different times than our itinerary.

 

Got a very cheap price for our itinerary, though, so... Here's hoping.

You probably have read this caution elsewhere, but it bears repeating.  The Pr1ma is not a cold weather ship.  A great deal of emphasis was placed on outdoor venues on this ship.  In cold, damp, or dreary weather, all those passengers who otherwise would be basking in the sun while sipping cocktails or enjoying snacks on deck are forced inside.  It can be quite crowded in some of the venues.  The Indulge Food Hall is a prime example.  The Pr1ma is a beautiful ship, but when we sailed on an itinerary similar to yours the week after Pr1ma's inaugural voyage, it sometimes was a zoo inside, very crowded and with less than stellar service times.  I hope you enjoy your journey, but please be prepared for crowds.