UKstages

is there a chance a mistake has been made?

a typo, perhaps?

they meant to honor "demographic guy" for his work compiling statistics about those attending the games? but they notified you by mistake? i do hope they don't withdraw the honor!

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

Kids do not do “bumper cars”. If they are seen intentionally hitting anyone (I.e., damaging the cars) they are black flagged. 

can you accept that different people may have had different experiences onboard NCL ships?

3 hours ago, UKstages said:

it does seem that some people, particularly kids, think these are bumper cars and the idea is to crash into every car they see!

that has been my personal lived experience onboard NCL ships and i stand by my statement.

even assuming somebody gets "black flagged" on an NCL speedway. have you considered that until that happens, they can still hit other cars intentionally or otherwise?

not scary, but it does seem that some people, particularly kids, think these are bumper cars and the idea is to crash into every car they see!

most ships have an hour or two set aside for solo cars... where you go through the course on your own, with nobody else on the course. the idea there is that you do laps for timing and try to beat your own personal best time. but, obviously, a solo ride would allay most of your concerns. not sure if the joy has solo ride hours or not, but i assume they do.

30 minutes ago, krazy4kruisin said:

They will make substitutes if they have the items in stock.

pleas understand that the haven restaurant is provisioned for each service. they will only have in stock the food they need to prepare menu items. so, if you want something unique made from items already on the menu, they can probably do it. if you want something completely different that would require unusual or irregular ingredients, you'd have to request that a day or so in advance, so they can make sure it gets provisioned to the kitchen for that meal service.

what an interesting question.

but i'm not sure you can do that.

yes, you can get a taxi from one area in puerto plata to another, but aren't the amenities within the port area reserved for the folks who are docked there? can others crash? i'm not saying you can't... i'm just questioning the logistics as to how you might be able to do that. the port areas are not public spaces.

congrats on being inducted to your high school's athletic hall of fame!

you should be fine with flying in on the same day.

no judgment.

as you point out, there are plenty of alternate flights in case of a mishap.

21 minutes ago, European_CruiseGirl said:

We also book specialty restaurants for the first part of the cruise as by the end of the cruise (last 1-2 days) people tend to all want to go to the specialty restaurants.

that is so interesting,. my perspective is a little different. in my experience, the crowding in the specialty restaurants actually thins out by the end of the end of the cruse because most people will have used their FAS specialty dining and their platinum and above coupons by then... especially true on longer cruises, such as transatlantics and transpacifics. 

the wording on the "dress code" sign (available at the host desk at most restaurants) stipulates:

"daytime, 24-hour and food hall: coverups, shirts and footwear are required."

edocs, and thus the bar code, is available within the app.

but i recommend taking a screen shot of the bar code in case the app fails or you don't have phone or internet service at the pier. all you need to check in at the terminal is the bar code. but i do recommend you save a pdf of your edocs on your computer, phone or tablet.

it is not documented anywhere because it is not true. 

28 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

No smoked salmon on a toast bagel this morning...

yes, but old habits die hard... i see, just as with the lox and bagel, you were able to secure a "double order" of toast this morning.

4 hours ago, clydeozzy said:

I got quickly ready for the show tonight which was Ian Shaw's Magic Show. Quite funny, he had some technical issues though with his camera, bless him!

he had trouble with his camera during both of the shows i attended recently on the getaway, too. i am beginning to think there is no actual technical flaw... it may be a planned distraction to allow him to perform certain tricks. 

enjoying your report. have fun!

i understand now what you're saying.

unfortunately, yes, just as with latitudes status, the CAS tier (and associated benefits) doesn't kick in until the next cruise. those are the rules. i think they're silly, but i've experienced this myself. i hit "elite" on my last cruise, but won't enjoy the benefits until i sail in a couple of weeks. i'm glad they "waived" the convenience fees, but i agree with you that they didn't really waive them if they essentially took them out of your earned comp.

are you playing table games or slots? either way, a 40K actual loss should earn 3K+ in comps based on my primitive calculations and without knowing the length of the cruise, how long you played or the theo of the machines/games.

they are usually available the next day. it can take up to 24 hours, but it's usually 12 - 14 hours. they will usually send you an email inviting you to download your edcocs.

1 hour ago, grouchomarx said:

It’s just me so maybe finding seating for 1 will be easier if they have like high top seating or something like that.

the joy does have some high top tables up front and in the back. most seat four or six.

for solo dining, the biggest problem is not finding a table... it's keeping it. when you go up to get another drink or select more food, sometimes they will clear your table and somebody else will claim it. you'll either need to befriend people dining nearby and ask them to look out for you, or talk to the waiter who clears your table and tell them you'll be returning shortly. if you intend to eat at the buffet a lot, i recommend printing out a sign at home and bringing it with you... "table occupied. be right back."

it's not a terribly good idea to publish an image of your reservation on a public forum without removing PII, such as your reservation number and cabin number. i recommend editing that or deleting the post and reposting just the text description.

you will have zero problems getting your OBC or your internet. it doesn't show on your reservation; the onboard hosts handle this.  there will be a card in your stateroom with your OBC details. and the internet will be preloaded as a "plan" option in the app. you will also see your FAS minutes in there, but there is no need to access that.

regarding the unlimited open bar, you should have a code on your reservation/invoice that details that... but not at first booking... that shows up two weeks or so prior to sailing and will be indicated on your card as well as coded into your card.  if you don't get an updated invoice by a week and a half or so before the cruise, call. 

9 minutes ago, mistertomatoe said:

They wouldn't even consider the convenience fees after Sapphire as waived.

i don't understand what you are saying here.

are you drawing a distinction between CAS tiers and saying that the waiving of convenience fees is different between tiers? or are you saying that all convenience fees waived are charged against comps at the end of the cruise?

you sure that was the joy?

i can't imagine any travel agent describing the joy's buffet as "small." it's one of the largest in the fleet or on many cruise ships.  surely the TA has been on other NCL ships or other cruise ships... that is just an incredible statement, as in the original sense of the word... not credible.

it can indeed get crowded, but that's because the ship's passenger capacity is well in excess of 4,000. there are other NCL ships with much smaller buffets, including the new prima class ships which have taken a fair amount of criticism for being far too small.

think of it as the "for a small fee at sea" program.

it doesn't change the value proposition.

29 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

I don’t need to pay $20 a round like on the Prima and Viva for a spooky clown. 

nor do i... but what the joy has is a helterskelter collection of putting greens awkwardly arranged in an outrageously small space. 

very little danger of paying $20 for miniature golf on the prima or viva, as the course is frequently closed for maintenance or open at no charge due to malfunctioning equipment. 

clowns are our friends. (they get a bad rap because of horror films.)

how do you feel about windmills?

some of the wealthy home owners who live in and around the town are also business owners who cater to tourists. just sayin'.

NCL says that coverups, shirts and footwear are required, and you would seem to meet those requirements. as for the buffet... the joy buffet is one of the largest and best in the fleet. i don't think anyone would call it undersized. 

1 minute ago, graphicguy said:

That proved to be untrue.

respectfully, it didn't prove to be untrue. the upcharge was printed on the menu!

regardless of how many photos of trays of cookies are placed in posts on cruise critic for all to see, it doesn't change the fundamental truth of widespread reports of cookie scarcity. those reports were true/are true, just as the reports of upcharges for additional lobster tails in the haven were true.

2 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Because those are your two choices.  Nothing you say or do on cruise critic will result in changes.

kindly read post #33.

many people mischaracterize the club balcony cabins as being only about the larger bathroom. yes, the bathroom, and usually the shower, is larger. but the cabin itself is a bit larger, too. it has a much airier, roomier feel to it, even though it is only marginally larger than a regular balcony. the couch doesn't seem stuffed in there... there is breathing room.

walk along the hallway on most decks and see how a certain bank of rooms juts out from the rest, those, as you know, are the club balcony rooms and that extra space isn't all in the bathroom. i have been on B2Bs on which i moved from a balcony to a club balcony for the second leg and the difference is quite noticeable.