ace2542

5 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Mentioned before, was only able to sit through Six with a steady supply of cocktails during the show.  

The one on the bliss was ok wouldn't go mad for it but it is dissapointing there is only one show jersey boys for me. Although I suppose they could put another one between now and feb 25 I can but hope.

On 1/22/2024 at 4:27 AM, tjunmin said:

As an outsider, with no insight into their business practices and IT infrastructure, it is difficult to say.

All I will say is the internet at least the computers on QM2 are very slow very old.

12 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Same for NCL.  If you do a b behind the scenes tour, you'll see the elaborate costuming and sets.  The only one that didn't have an elaborate set and costumes was Blue Man Group.

 

Rock of Ages was a show I think ran the longest, or maybe Burn the Floor.  Burn the Floor is still playing.  I've seen it 3 times and have enjoyed it every time.

 

Six?  I can take or leave.  Not my Fave.  Neither was Priscilla nor Kinky Boots.  I understand why they were not renewed.

 

Getting ready to see Donna on the Prima.  Never seen the game shows, so have heard some good things about them.  Will try to get into one of them.

 

My faves are the shows in Syd Norman's though.  As good as anything I've seen on any cruise ship.  They're just a whole lot of fun.

I have just booked on the bliss westbound T/A for next feb. I noticed as you are all saying 6 has been replaced by game show. I am dissapointed. I suppose it also means they get to employ less people as well. Bad that.

On 1/18/2024 at 1:55 PM, graphicguy said:

I don't know about the costs associated with the Broadway type shows vs game shows.

Can't speak for NCL but on Cunard they cost millions of dollars to put a show on which is way they last for years.

9 minutes ago, hallux said:

Compare the break to that for the Joy, it may be an indication of what they plan to do.  If it's short, the primary focus may be the technical requirements for a regulatory dry dock rather than replacing part of the OL as is being done on the Joy.  @chengkp75 can enlighten us on approx. how long is needed for a dry dock in order to satisfy regulations.

 

Yes, there are 3 areas of the ship that are key-card access - The Haven, Vibe, and the Studio area.  All other passenger areas outside of cabins themselves are freely-accessible to all.

I don't think they will touch the lounge myself though I may be wrong. Didn't they design the ship for Alaska so they want the lounge for that purpose and still will?

Is the local/o sheehans (it's o sheenans to me) open 24/7 as it used to be? Doesn't say 24/7 on the website

6 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

Just be aware that if this is really a repositioning cruise before a dry dock, there will be construction/demolition going on during the cruise. We, personally, don’t mind and can avoid most of the construction impacts, others will take every opportunity to complain about it… knowing that they were on a pre-/post- dry dock cruise. 
 

We were on a post-dry dock cruise and there were still some areas not complete. And some of our room amenities slowly showed up each day (sofa throw pillows, closet drapes, cleaning construction residue). It was all part of the adventure and we enjoyed it. They did some mini-sea trials (mostly at the most inopportune times like dinner - where you are trying to keep your plates from falling off the table) like full speed starts, emergency stops, hour-long turns in harbors to reset the compass. 

The studio cabins won't be affected by this I don't think. I have been on bliss before the studios are locked away in the centre of the ship at least they where on the deck I was on you need the special card to access them I think.

15 hours ago, yakcruiser said:

 

The Encore is scheduled for the same two week break in Nov/Dec of 24. They are probably going to shrink the Observation Lounge by 50% on those two ships like they are on the Joy this winter so they can add more cabins. Oops! Did I really say that?

I doubt they can do that in two weeks but I might be wrong. That would be a very big undertaking ripping up a whole part of the ship.

16 hours ago, The Traveling Man said:

You may want to look more closely at this cruise before you book.  February is an unusual month for NCL to be sailing westbound across the Atlantic.  According to the posted schedule, the Bliss sails from Miami on 4 January, arriving at Southampton on 17 January.  There are no listed cruises for the Bliss from then until your cruise departing Southampton on 2 February.  It is quite possible that the Bliss is scheduled for a dry dock, refitting, or refurbishment during that gap of just over two weeks.  Many experienced cruisers will advise you to avoid any cruise just before or just after a dry dock.  Frequently the repairs that have been scheduled cannot be completed during the time allotted.  Some cruises have been cut short to allow extra days to complete the work.  This means the possibility of missing planned ports of call.  In a few cases the workers remained on board the ship and continued with their hammering, sandblasting, painting, etc. while passengers were denied access to parts of the ship that were still undergoing repair.  The noise, fumes, and inconvenience of sailing on a work in progress certainly are not what they expected when they paid for their cruise. 

 

There may be some other explanation for the timing of the cruise or the gap in sailing dates.  Without further information from NCL, though, I would recommend choosing a different cruise.

I just noticed eastbound and westbound sailings with a couple of week break. Why are they doing a couple of week break not long enough for a dry dock of a ship that size. Not for anything more than carpet fitting and new chairs maybe. Are they trying out T/As for size thinking about taking on Cunard maybe do we think?

15 hours ago, hallux said:

The Bliss is not doing a TA Feb. 25, she'll be doing a Mexican Riviera cruise.  Or are you asking about the Feb. 2025 one?

I mean feb 2nd 2025 westbound T/A.

1 minute ago, schmoopie17 said:

TAs are typically the least populated cruises...due to the length, it's primarily retirees or people with lots of time to kill. Very few, if any, kids. Our TA last November was probably 60% full and I recall seeing one toddler.

 

The RCL Anthem seems pretty full this coming april. I am mid 40s and solo traveller it's a good price on the bliss.

Is it the sort of cruise that would be full do we think? It's one of the earliest T/As of the year. Thinking about booking it but not if it is gonna be dead.

18 hours ago, Victoria2 said:

If a passenger can't complete the step test, then no tendering as crew are not there to carry passengers on/off the tender

It was my Religous Education teacher who drowned in Cambodia on the Queen Elizabeth during the world cruise  whose death precipitated the new requirement. A really sad thing she only booked the trip that morning as well

Have you completed the needed mobility forms for going onboard? I think there are forms that have to be completed

14 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

You missed the point. He is a true world cruiser, not just some guy reporting on the UWC.  He planned this deviation.  Anyone is allowed to do that.  Many are leaving the ship overnight, or for two nights, and then rejoining.  It is truly not a big deal.

I know that but Tik Tok and the media seem to be making it a big deal like there is a lots of drama going on other world cruises do not get this level of attention.

1 hour ago, CSHS1979 said:

 

 

The amount of single passengers booked is astonishing. Not like there are empty cabins all over the ship. 

 

Plus many cabins are being used for storage, additional staff, lecturers, medical, etc...

That statement cancels itself out somewhat doesn't it? Is the ship quite full?

18 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

 

 

If @ace2542 is referring to the person in the BI article, he is not a TikTokker.  He is a regular full UWC cruiser who PREPLANNED to leave the ship for about a week, and then return.  He has returned. 

My I Phone newsfeed said he was a tik tok guy I am sure he is as well

4 minutes ago, orville99 said:

In a word - NO. Doubtful they will ever do a cruise like this again, let alone dedicate a larger ship to one.

Why not it's a sell out isn't and doing the media buzz they wan't and they can't be surprised at the media buzz. But ok maybe not on a larger ship

Here is an interesting question given how this has taken and one can assume generated the media buzz they wanted it to generate do we think Royal could and would use a larger ship for a future ultimate world cruise like Anthem or Ovation or name your big ship within reason assuming ship would fit into ports

44 minutes ago, A&L_Ont said:

This sounds interesting.

https://www.businessinsider.com/ultimate-world-cruise-passenger-cant-re-board-ship-in-brazil-2023-12?r=US&IR=T

It is from December so I assume he will have reboarded.

Has the tik tok blogger denied boarding in Brazil reboarded yet? There was a story online about him.

You know the T/A from Miami to Barcelona is it?

Perhaps they are trying to generate less laundry and therefore use less power onboard the ship? Or perhaps they have less below deck staff?

They used to the Hilton Midtown by east 51st street when we went last time with them. Though they may have change it out. It is a nice little run to red hook down the FDR into Brooklyn.

On 12/27/2023 at 9:40 PM, micruiser2002 said:

This whole story is so confusing because they still have not said how or who "smuggled" the cat onboard yet they say they found it in a guest cabin?  This is what Bayley said which makes it seem like they do not know who did it.  

 

Royal Caribbean Cruises president and CEO Michael Bayley put out a statement on Dec. 22 saying they “believe” a guest smuggled the small feline onto the cruise.

It is a joke as to how it got past security.

2 hours ago, david63 said:

The problem is that in the UK (cannot say for other countries) the disabled "claim" has been abused by some for many years and Carnival UK (possibly other Carnival brands) have recently started to tighten up their rules.

And there was also the battery pack fire on P&O the other month as well and issues with these electric bikes at home going on fire. Not the same brand as the scooters but still that will have raised concern.