dlh015

17 minutes ago, tert333 said:

You may want to check your account.   I received a similar letter and they did apply the credit to my existing cruise.   I have sent "Alvin" and note to ask to apply the credit to my next cruise in Jan 2025.  Will see how that goes.

I'm sure he'll be happy to do that...for a fee of course...a $50 fee probably...🤣

<Just kidding of course...well, I *think* I'm just kidding...>

38 minutes ago, Muushka said:

I found it irritating that those 2 channels, Prime and PrimeOne, actually had some decent movies.  But no guide to tell you what and when.  So basically useless.

 

I was also surprised at no music.

Yes, I forgot to mention that in my earlier post...no guide whatsoever. It was, indeed,  very irritating...

You can open the balcony dividers on Magic Carpet Sky Suites on E class ships (well, on the Apex anyways...)

22 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Was on Edge recently and there was no music channel like on S-Class ships.   There is background music on the navigation channel.

 

From memory the channels I remember are

CNBC

MSNBC

COUPLE SPORTS STATIONS.   THEY ALSO BROADCAST MAJOR GAMES

FOX

BBC NEWS

BBC AMERICA

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

SKY NEWS

CARTOON CHANNEL

CHILDREN'S NETWORK

a Classic Movie CHANNEL

4-5 CELEBRITY ADVERTISEMENT CHANNELS INCLUDING REPLAYS OF THE LIVE LECTURES AND SOME OF THE SHOWS, EXCURSION PREVIEWS, CRUISE DIRECTOR ETC ETC.

 

 

 

You forgot (and I kid you not)...the Toddler Channel...that was listed after the Childrens channel...

I somehow refrained from having a look at it...(I was afraid it would mesmerize my rather simple mind...

and as @MamaFej pointed out, if you've experienced the Princess TV offerings, you are gonna be very disappointed indeed...

Golly gee willikers!!  Am I gonna get $50 for my complaint in the disembarkation survey because I was charged $17.78 for drinks I didn't order in my stateroom??

Ain't counting on it...

This is all very strange! We just got off the Apex last month...was in a MC Sky Suite...had two loungers and the two chairs/table setup. 

3 hours ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

We have two included tours on our stop in Bergen for our next cruise in August. It should be noted that you can only select one.

That is interesting. On our Egypt river cruise, a couple ports have two 'included' excursions and we've been able to reserve both. They are, of course, at different times and don't cancel each other out.

I shall keep this in mind when our VO cruise excursions open up...

10 minutes ago, schmoopie17 said:

But that's not necessarily so, as we have an excursion booked and I still see other things coming up for that day.

That is my experience also.

11 minutes ago, schmoopie17 said:

Although, I tried booking one for our upcoming cruise and it didn't tell me it was sold out until I put it in the cart,

Thanks...new to NCL. I've seen both on other lines...Sold Out banner or simply gone from choices...wondered how NCL did it...

I've seen some excursions disappear from the Shore Excursions page lately and wondered if that was because of being sold out.

Thanks!

8 hours ago, RichYak said:

When I've seen the 22/23:1 ratio, I've assumed that this was temporary until Celebrity completed re-hiring of butlers. But you used the words "fully staffed". Are you saying that this ratio is permanent?

Yes, it appears to be permanent. I spoke with our butler during our Apex cruise last April. He was somewhat taken aback when I mentioned that I had heard they were covering 23 suites. He asked how I knew...lol...he was unfamiliar with CC. 

He verified that this was the new norm. He said the hardest part was that he was covering multiple decks and it made it a little more difficult to deliver the same level of service. (I noticed him a few times in the Retreat Lounge also...)

He stated that there were no plans at that time of reducing the current workload. But I will say he did a fine job taking care of us. He brought coffee and rolls every morning and some nibbles in the afternoon. 

Always have to smile when this sort of question is asked...because I just wouldn't even consider taking that chance. Playing 'chicken' with the captain is a losing proposition...

Heh...I was 3rd in line...lol...

2 minutes ago, jimlouisesophie said:

We have booked our EZ air flight for next January, but would like to see other options.  If I go on the EZ flight page, do I just click on to the Change Flight icon?  Will this cancel my original booking? Thx

Yes, just click on the Change Flight icon. Your flight will only be replaced *if* you hit change later on at bottom of page... 

55 minutes ago, Oceangoer2 said:

Contacted my CVP via email yesterday three times and the response was "not available".  Called as it may have been a system glitch.  Message was "CVP no longer available;  leave name/number and one will be assigned".  Not sure if she left or another case of many CVP's laid off.  Has anyone else called lately to see if this may be across the board?

Mine disappeared a few months ago...suddenly email bounced and voicemail was like yours...

Haven't been assigned a new one...

1 hour ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

So glad you had a nice cruise. Your itinerary is actually one of my favorites, sans Grand Cayman. I’ve never been on Apex but we will embark on Edge in a few weeks, also in a MC suite. Am I to understand that you asked your room steward/butler to empty your fridge?  And then they filled it with your requests?  I’m not sure how that works or if we will even bother but like you, I don’t care to be charged for something I didn’t consume…wouldn’t chase down the minimal charges but how interesting that they occurred on the last day when you’re not there to dispute. 
 

Question though, if not Celebrity, then who for your next cruise adventure?  I agree that, like you we no longer see the value in suites but I’m finding that there are still some good deals to be had once in a while in other categories. 
 

Thanks for the review from one of my favorite CC’ers. 😊

You made me blush...lol.

No, I did not ask anyone to empty the minibar...it was empty upon our arrival. However, when James saw I liked IPAs he kept it stocked at no charge along with ginger ale for my DW.  And that was it. But I understand not all butlers will do this (from what I've read here on CC) and that we were fortunate enough to have one who did. It certainly enhanced our cruise.

I do certainly agree that some deals in other categories do come around from time to time...rereading that part of the post I realize I was too strict in my wording. If the right itinerary comes up at a decent price I would keep X in the running... 

We're cruising the West Indies on Viking Ocean next year. It's an itinerary we've been interested in for a while. And we want to try a smaller ship. And, believe it or not, we like the decor on their ships. 

I've been sorting thru a myriad of info and pricing amongst a variety of lines that all get a mention here from time to time. We only have a few destinations that we are interested in so that narrows things down a bit. 

BTW, just to be clear: the Apex is an awesome ship. Current crew is friendly and competent. 

* Embarkation out of Fort Lauderdale was super smooth. It was barely 15 minutes from arrival to luggage drop off in our Magic Carpet stateroom to hitting    lunch in Luminae. We got to the port about 11:45 am.

* Our room attendant Tommy stopped by and introduced himself shortly after our return from lunch. Our butler James (it said butler on his card) stopped by soon thereafter. He kept our minbar stocked with my fav IPAs and my DW's fav beverages. Yes, he is handling 23 suites...sadly across various decks. He was surprised that I knew about his work load. He said that there was no plan to increase staffing. 

* We did not go to any specialty restaurants except Eden and ate most of our meals in Luminae when it was open. Service was very good. Food was always hot (except when it wasn't supposed to be 🙂). Wine pours were generous. Unfortunately I failed to note the names of them. Oops.

*  The Apex was beautiful. And that is an understatement. Very, very clean. We did not encounter any blaringly loud music but we didn't hang around the grand plaza very much so it could have been nasty for others. The corridors didn't have any loud music and many times just had an ocean waves sound. We just enjoyed walking around the ship and admiring the art. 

* Eden was wonderful. Had a great table and again, the staff was attentive and the food was served at an appropriate temperature. One little gotcha was the yellow snapper my DW had was way too hot spice-wise. We could not tell from the ingredients that it would be that hot. This was easily remedied by exchanging entrees...so she had my Filet Mignon & mini-beef Wellington. (Yes, we could have sent it back but there was no need as I happen to like spicy hot food.)  We really enjoyed watching the chefs at work...what a team!!

* The weather was superb everywhere! (Fort Lauderdale, Key West, Belize, Cozumel, and Grand Cayman)

* We organized our own excursion in Key West which was a walking tour. We visited the Little White House, the lighthouse and the keeper's quarters, the Hemingway Museum, the southern most point marker, and the Nature Conservatory. We liked it all but the Butterfly Conservatory was just amazing. Highly recommend a visit to that...we would definitely go again.  

* In Belize we visited the Mayan Lamani ruins. It was a 'complicated' tour as there was a bus ride, then a boat ride to get to the site. They also fed us a 'locals' lunch of chicken, fried plantains, potato salad and rice and beans cooked in coconut milk. Everything was quite tasty.

This was a ship excursion and that was a good thing because we were the last bus to return and had a tender all to ourselves. We were only 15 minutes late and the tour guides were in constant contact with the ship. We were late because the bus air suspension system failed and the speed bumps were horrendous. (And there were a lot of them!) Incredibly, they dispatched another bus that happened to be nearby (or perhaps it was just ready for just this kind of emergency) and we transferred quickly and easily.

* We also took a ship excursion in Cozumel. Since the operator cancelled our original Tulum excursion because of time constraints (whatever), we ended up going to the San Gervasio ruins and then the beach. Our guide was hilarious and an island native of Mayan heritage. You wouldn't have known he would be so enjoyable when you first met him. Frankly, I was not getting a great vibe in the beginning but that quickly turned into a bunch of fun. (His name was Jesus)

* For Grand Cayman, we booked a private excursion from a company recommended here on CC (Shore Excursions Group). It went to the Crystal Caves.  Celebrity wanted $300 per person for their excursion. We paid $250 for both of us. The guide at the site (Ives) was great and really made the tour interesting. However...the bus left without us! We had returned a few minutes late apparently. Well, the staff at the caves were familiar with Caytours (the subcontractor) and made some hurried calls and they came back and got us. Whew. Did not need that! Getting a taxi on Grand Cayman was not an option given the time constraints.  (Some folks on the bus told us that there was some confusion about the number of people they were supposed to pick up...ooooookay...so off they went) I have sent an email to the company with my comments.

*Disembarkation could not have been easier. We did a Celebrity excursion to an Everglades Airboat park and then it dropped us off at the airport. It was a fine day.  

Couple of negs:

* Don't much care for the design of the storage space in the MC Sky Suites. The bathroom and balcony were fine...especially the balcony...it was huge. But getting to the closet was a bit of a hassle. Actually it was a pain in the a**. However, there was sufficient drawer space for the two of us. A larger table on the balcony would be nice. 

* The video on demand and the channels were, well, severely lacking in content and functionality.

* Despite monitoring my account daily, including the morning of our departure, I received a bill of $17.78 for the minibar. The minibar was empty when we arrived. I left a couple beers in it that I put there. So I have no idea where the charge came from...perhaps there was a paperwork mix up...I don't know. But I do know that I am not going to bother going thru the process of clawing my money back. 

The Retreat Sun Deck and Lounge were great...really enjoyed them.

So we had a pretty good cruise. (never had a bad one frankly...) But it will be a while before we sail X again. It will have to be a great itinerary and there will need to be some pricing changes. But I'm not holding my breath for any of that. They're sailing full so why should they change? We booked this Sky Suite when grats were included and we got $600 in OBC. Thank goodness. That gave us some value-add.

One more thing...the Apex was full...yet it never, ever felt crowded. And the other cruisers were no problem at all, no crazy outbursts or rude behavior.

Well...one small humorous event. One evening (9:30 ish) towards the end of the cruise I was hanging out on the port side of the Sunset bar. Just listening to the sea and looking at the wake and stars. I hear a woman's voice asking the bartender if he 'has a light'...he says no. She then accosts a group of folks sitting in a lounge area right at the wake area. "HEY! Anyone got a light??"  I hear mumbled nos and I look to see their heads shaking as the woman heads off toward the starboard side (where the smoking area is). 

I resume my enjoyment of the serene circumstances I am in. About 5 minutes later I hear "HEY YOU" very close to me. I turn and yep, it's her. She staring right at me. Then: "Got a light?"  I say no. She says "what are you doing here?" I say nothing and slowly just turn away...off she goes. As I later walk by the aforementioned table of people, they start laughing and we all just start wondering what she was smoking...  

ETA: Okay, maybe not so short...😁

21 hours ago, Frenchkona said:

Does the unlimited Specialty Dining perk for some of the Sillouette suites include the food at Craft Social?

When I was on the Equinox in Jan. '23, I ordered some food, the waiter said I would be charged...I said fine...he came back later and said I wouldn't be charged because I was in a suite. (Sky Suite). Sure enough, the charge was added to my account and then removed a little later. 

YMMV.   🤷‍♂️

Yep, you sure *can* do that...rep was very wrong...

4 hours ago, zqvol said:

Noticing that again there is no beef in the MDR on this menu.  Thanks Bird!

Yes. Those menus are the same as the ones you find published on profcruise...except for the beef dishes which are always at the top.

So they've had all the menus reprinted?? Huh...

57 minutes ago, JGmf said:

Regarding the notion that passengers have become more rude over the years....

 

I'd say yes.  Starting with the advent of social media, turbocharged with the nastiness of 2016-on politics, exacerbated by the Pandemic, and now cemented in place with high demand for cruising with more crowds and less relative space.

Agreed...but I would add cell phones to the list...right in front of social media...

17 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

NCL only allows for two day deviations which is what OP received.

Only way to get two days in London is to cancel NCL flights and book your own.

Thanks, didn't know that...new to NCL. 

Yeah, I wouldn't bother booking thru BOGO then...apparently they do things a bit differently...

11 minutes ago, ronheg said:

We will be using the BOGO air to fly from Minneapolis to London.  These flights typically leave in late afternoon/early evening and land the next morning.  Our cruise reservation shows a two day deviation.  The cruise departs on 10/10.  The NCL reservationist says our flight will leave Minneapolis on the 8th, and arrive in London on the 9th.  Is this correct?  I thought it meant that we would spend 2 nights in London.  We’d like to spend 2 nights in England.

Since you were vague about when you actually leave, let's say you leave at 9 pm your time (Minneapolis) on the 8th. The flight is about 8+ hours long (not counting any layovers of course).

Landing would be 5 am your time and 11 am London time on the 9th.

If you want to spend 2 nights in London, you would need to leave on the 7th.

It looks like you need to make some adjustments...

32 minutes ago, Sharon1313 said:

Hi all, we have been on Silhouette in the past and never paid much attention to the Lawn Club. For our upcoming cruise we have a port day where we are planning to stay on the ship and we’re considering renting an alcove. On CC website it makes a big deal about the smart casual dress code, including no shorts…? It seems weird to sit outside all day in long pants. Is there anything to do up there? Or should we just plan to spend the day at the pool. TIA for any insight!

Wear what you like...I did one on the Equinox on a port day...loved it. It was quiet, I could nap and read and nosh...I thought it was much better than pool side. Don't know what they offer on your cruise, but I got a bottle of vodka (Grey Goose) and there was a menu of included food stuff...there was also a dedicated person taking care of the 'alcoves'...

It was a very pleasant day... 

Deleted...wrong link...

At this point, I'm not believing anything until I experience it myself. In April. As I've said before, I'll post my experience here upon my return. (Around April 22nd or so...)