JamesIowa

I’m not a water snob by any means and have the unrefined palate of a peasant with a head cold. I can’t stand flow. There’s a sweet alkaline-ish taste that really makes one ponder how they can f something up so badly.

They don’t want to give you too much time to research what a bad deal it is. Hurry! Ends soon!

Hey Will be taking a tour from Panama City to colon via pc railway then a tour of agua Clara visitor center / viewing platform. Traveling with my mom who has mobility issues and uses a scooter (foldable/portable). Does anybody have any experience with or knowledge of wheelchair accessibility at the ac visitors center? Any issues with pc rail storing the scooter while we’re traveling? A walker is available, but with the heat, etc scooter is preferable. Thanks!

Added a vibe cabana for an upcoming cruise. Information listed explains this comes with 2 passes included (and is non-transferable). Traveling with 1 other but we’re each in a separate cabin, separate reservation. Was told by NCL that as solo the cabana would now only include 1 pass (for myself) and another would need to be purchased for my mom. NBD, we added it, but is this really how it is? So I essentially paid for a cabana and 3 access passes just to cover 2 people? plan to mention it to g/s onboard and see if there’s anything that can be done, anybody have any similar experiences with this? Tia.

$10 US p/d from what I’ve seen

That is not accurate. I just made fp on the 15 day cruise, fas + w/streaming was 780 ($52p/d). without streaming internet it’s $630 ($42 p/d) 7 day cruise: fas+ $59 p/d 15 day cruise: fas+ $52 p/d

Perception vs reality. the reality is on a 15 day cruise I was going to pay $379 for internet and $82 for 2sdp. That’s $461. with fas+ I essentially get p+ for $319 vs $522. $319<$522 not sure how that’s a poor value given the assumptions from op and above.

If my math isn’t crazy, the value in fas+ can be optimized by longer cruises perhaps vs fas + discounts: note: for comparison I did not consider the fas+ shorex discount. Also assuming you were already planning to make these upgrades (streaming, p+). 7 day cruise cost to individually upgrade to unlimited Wi-Fi w/streaming: $179.93 p+: $243.60 2sdp: $82.80 total: $509.43 ($72p/d) For FAS+ it’s $343 + $70 (for streaming Wi-Fi)= $413.70 ($59p/d) 15 day cost to individually upgrade to: unlimited Wi-Fi w/streaming: $379.85 p+: $522 2sdp: $82.80 total: $984.65 ($65 p/d) FAS+ is $630 + $150 (streaming) = $780.52 ($52 p/d) Saving $7 p/d on a 15 day cruise = $105 (and $204 less than what I was going to pay to upgrade separately).

Was on breakaway in Dec 22, this test was run in the theatre on a sea day:

I’m on a 15 day and it was an extra $150 for fas+ with streaming. people complain a lot about the quality, but I’ve been getting the streaming option for at least the last 8 years and never had a problem streaming nfl games, Hulu+ live, etc.

I have not found this to be the case at all. I have 2 cruises (Dec 23, Dec 24) that are, what I think, very good deals, the upcoming cruise (Dec 23 Mia-la pc 15 days) is so low I didn’t even call for the get the latest price drop (single occupancy balcony). I’m almost embarrassed to mention what I actually paid (for 15 days!). It was under 2K. You can even get 15 days in the haven for about what a 7 day would cost (<9k w/MAP). The Dec ‘24 7 day cruise on encore is ~1800 for single occupancy balcony. I have reserved haven 2 bedroom for 8k. Not a purple-hamburger-pooping-unicorn of a deal, but solid imo. point is, there are good prices out there. Haven included.

Read the t and c’s, for the first time apparently. Any idea what this means (from https://www.ncl.com/latitudes-rewards-program Coupons can’t be used for the same venue twice.

I take 1 cruise a year. That cruise is meticulously planned and very much looked forward to. I find that many times the things I think may be obstacles to a good cruise (Noro, Covid protocols, NCL policy changes, whatever) turn out to be no big deal and I have a good time despite all of the pre-cruise worry. Many times after vacation I think “that was a lot of worrying for nothing” that being said, no way I’d take a partial-charter goth themed cruise.

That’s a great piece of advice!

Thanks for the info!

Champagne aside, does grey goose generally seem available at spice h20 and vibe?

@UKstages thanks for the well-written and erudite review. Very insightful and objective. Also, thanks for posting it pretty much simultaneously in different parts! I love reading long reviews and it’s infinitely more cohesive when it’s “all together” vs the post-question-question-flame-question-who’s the hotel manager-post-repeat format most reviews suffer. I mean, the questions are part of it, I get that, but it can make the review itself feel disjointed.

I always get the premium internet. Have sailed on most NCL ships, some many times, and really do not have many complaints about the internet. It’s not super fast, is super expensive, but can usually get it to work for browsing and streaming (I’m the guy streaming Monday Night Football on his iPad while playing slots). Like @cruiseny4life said it also depends on you are (sometimes because of internet itself, others times because of location restrictions on Hulu, Netflix, etc unless you use a vpn). On the breakaway last Dec they had just switched to starlink and that was an incredible improvement! I was connecting at 113mbps for much of the cruise. They’re rolling starlink out to the rest of the fleet, but not sure when getaway is scheduled (think there’s a thread here somewhere about that). it is important to temper your expectations though; it is not your home internet.

The only “real” deals I’ve found consistently with NCL are the 10% vets discount, sailings with no solo supplement, or simply booking for a favorable time of year (low season, first 2 weeks in Dec, etc). I usually watch the prices pretty closely and it seems most price reductions are more “huh, price went down for some reason” other than reduction being attributed to a sale. Agree with others; book what you’re comfortable with then watch the prices.

That does seem to be the rule, but there are almost always very good deals first 2 weeks of Dec. That’s when I sail; almost no kids since most are in school and good deals to be had.

Personally, I absolutely loved the concierge class on joy. The room, I’d say, was 90% of haven in terms of fit/finish. Room size, balcony all were terrific. I think the economics of having a “business class” offering is substantial and something I’d like to see more of. I want a nice room and a few perks. Why is there no option between steerage and 1st class? And don’t say club balcony. I typically sail solo in a balcony (or better), so my personal cruise economics may differ from others (solo supplement, etc). For me, solo, haven pricing doesn’t really get that attractive unless via upgrade bidding. Ex: think my average cabin price is around 2500+ tax let’s call it 3300 all-in. The lowest rung of haven for a 7 day, what, 6-7K+tax so that’s now 7-8k. My rule for haven (or most 1st/business, VIP upgrades) is that I’ll pull the trigger if it’s 2 to 2.5x more than regular. For solos, haven is typically 3-4x from what I’ve seen. why can’t I give NCL 5k for a business class experience? don’t need a butler. Concierge are nice at times. Don’t need ship-within-ship. I understand their reputation for nickel-and-diming, but damnit I want to give them dollars. Lots of dollars. That they don’t want? The economics do scale up when sailing with 2 vs. paying for 2 separate solo-supplement cabins. Haven 2 bedroom then becomes much more reasonable as it can fall within the “2-2.5x more” rule.

According to NCL you can share, but must be mindful re: swipe times: The Arcade Package sharing controls includes limiting guests to three (3) swipes every three (3) minutes. If compromised, the card will be disabled for 15 minutes. Norwegian Cruise Line management reserves the right to alter or change package structure at any time

Can someone please explain how/when the cabana assignments are made? Can you request a selection in advance? on the bliss, are there any recommendations for the best spot for privacy (I.e. not by hot tub), thanks!

That’s me lol. That’s my debark pro tip. Best $20-40 you can spend; those porters know exactly what they’re doing and how to expedite my egress! Loved your report, tyvm. Will be on the Mia-la pc in Dec on bliss and can’t wait!

I usually order room service at night or have breakfast in cabin. Not sure what the proper etiquette is, but I leave the dishes, tray in the cabin (some leave in hall/entry). In a balcony, that shrapnel does take up space. Usually can count on that being gone midday-ish, now sounds like I could be living with that potentially until like 2000? Have they been quicker to remove old trays left in the hallway?