zzdoug

What exactly is happening on those cruises? If it's what I infer you're implying, the brand name isn't very descriptive. I have not taken a Virgin cruise and have no plans to, but the vibe I was getting from TV commercials was "loud new wave music/fashion show".

This may have to do with the timing of the new ship deliveries and when the change is in reference to. (Since Aug 2022? or June 2022? or Sept 2021?) The $661M change could be the $1.1B debt associated with final payment for Prima which may have closed in July 2022, minus some expiration of older debt. Carnival and Royal have both added huge loads of debt since 2019 and have received new huge expensive ships this year, but the timing of that chart may not show it.

That is true, provided the fixed loan has already closed, which according to the document I linked to accounts for 75% of existing debt. The note at the bottom says that the $14 billion "excludes future newbuild borrowings, finance leases and debt issuance costs". Most of the mortgages on the newer ships appear to have a floating component presumably tied to the LIBOR market rate (e.g. "2.98% / L+1.50%/ L+1.50%"), the exception being the Prima. The debt shown for the Viva and "Leonardo 1 and 2" appear to be initial deposits or progress payments. I think Prima-class ships cost north of $1 billion each, and the debt shown for those ships are $259 million and $37 million respectively.

Be patient. This is already happening in Las Vegas... All of these new ships are incredibly expensive and NCL and the other mass-market cruise lines have taken on huge debt loads to pay for them. It seems to me that they are substituting capital for labor - giving us new toys in exchange for service, which maybe makes sense from a profitability perspective during a period of low interest rates and rising salaries. However as interest rates climb, I wonder if this tradeoff will change. Carnival just cancelled some of their ships on order and I'm pretty sure interest rates were a factor. I think it would make sense to provide a higher level of service on older ships where maybe people aren't as interested in the new doodads like drop waterslides and race tracks. Going to Europe and staying on land was a super deal this past summer. The Euro is not much more than the US Dollar so everything is on sale. We had a fabulous time in Italy this summer. Rented an airbnb 2br townhouse with a yard for US $140/night and ate very well. Euro is going back up, and they are apparently facing energy shortages, so I don't know how long this will last. Indeed! Us, as in WE the people of Earth. It's happening to humans everywhere!

Thanks for this useful info. Are these advance reservations cancelable without risk? Also if I book a reservation, do I need to specify how I will pay for it? And if so, if I book it to be billed to my onboard account, can I later switch it to be covered by my free-at-sea dining credit?

Wow. Out of curiosity, of those ten advance bookings, how many do you actually expect to pay for and use? Are any of them concurrent; i.e. same week but different ships; or same sailing on a particular ship but different rooms? I have done this in the past to a lesser extent with hotel rooms in Las Vegas, and I will still book a room if I see a deal whether or not I know I can go, but I'm not super strategic about it. I never thought about it for cruises until now.

Is it really necessary to book your March 2024 cruise over a year in advance? Why not wait until you take your September cruise and then decide? That still gives you 6 months until March 2024 which I would guess is probably early enough for most discounting. Plus so much could change in 15 months. NCL may cancel or reroute the cruise, something that has been happening somewhat frequently lately.

My TA has apparently set us up for just the flight home because we were able to use frequent flyer points to fly outbound to the cruise. We have not yet received our return flight information so I can't officially confirm this yet.

Most if not all ships have mechanical and ambient noises from things like wind, the engines, anchor drop, kitchen prep activity, neighbors engaging in whatever, etc. It's a resort on a boat and some things just can't happen in complete silence. It's not very bothersome but some rooms are more prone to noise than others. My understanding is that the quietest rooms are mid and forward interiors, probably on a level not adjacent to public areas. But you can hear the anchor almost everywhere and it's loud and often drops very early in the morning. But it only lasts about 5 to 10 seconds.

On our upcoming cruise I am seeing a spa-access balcony (B9) priced $240 pp above a basic balcony (BD). Is there any difference between a spa-access balcony and (another balcony room + spa pass)? If the spa pass cost more than $240, or whatever that difference is for your room, why not just upgrade the room?

I don't know. But chefs at premium restaurants presumably accommodate many special requests, and as far as special requests go, this would be a fairly easy one to handle. Given that it also reduces the risk that a costly steak is returned by a persnickety customer who disagreed with the chef's opinion of doneness, I would think most chefs would welcome it. In any case, I doubt they would be less likely to use a thermometer if I asked for my steak at a particular temperature. Ever since I have been cooking steaks at home with a thermometer, I have been able to execute them perfectly. When I don't, they always come out way overcooked. Blech. Your method is what I did before I thought of this and what I would do if the waitperson seems flummoxed by the request. But if even a few people started doing this, maybe after a few days it wouldn't seem so peculiar.

This is true. "Rare", "medium", etc are subjective and the chef and I seldom agree on what they are. Ergo, my new policy for ordering steak in restaurants is to ask for it to be cooked to 125 degrees farenheit / 52 degrees celsius center temperature, and then serve it to me when the resting temperature reaches 130 / 55. I encourage others to try this more objective approach so the wait staff become accustomed to it. Then we will get exactly what we want. A $75 steak overcooked by 10 degrees is a throwaway.

Hmm. Is this accurate? Also: What do women and trans people usually believe in? Anyway, Puerto Rico is fabulous. I suggest flying in 2 days early so you have time to enjoy it. Take a trip to Vieques, visit the rainforest, eat at the Lechon highway, or at Bobos restaurant, walk around old San Juan and the fort, etc.

I used to like the idea of a $2 bill as a tip but I kind of feel like a tip should be enough for the recipient to buy something, at a bare minimum. Unfortunately there really isn't much anyone can buy for $2 anymore. So my tips now usually start at $3 to $5. Also because they are so uncommon, I am persuaded by the argument that the recipient might have an unnecessarily difficult time getting people to accept the $2 bill as tender when trying to spend it abroad. I thought i read somewhere that coins of any denomination, even dollars, typically are not accepted at all in other countries.

Hi, another question: I see you tried the various included main dining rooms. Are there any differences among them or reason to choose one over another? What about the supper club? Thanks!

Hi @Greygooser, or anyone, did you notice any differences among the various MDRs? Is there any reason to choose one over the others? Thanks

Are the self-service coffee machines in the buffet those large German machines whose brand I can't recall (Kaffe something or other)?

Hopefully you will be upgraded.

This is great. Much appreciated! Especially looking forward to the jazz singers tribute in the Supper Club and sketch comedy game show. Hopefully they will persist until our cruise in early May. Has anyone checked either of those out? Thanks for posting!

Thanks for posting this on-point and succinct review! Do you happen to have any dailies you could share? What are your thoughts on the entertainment?

Also cruises > 9 days are unlikely to have many children.

Thanks, good to know. I had been under the impression this was only an option for status cruisers (haven etc).

Thanks. We will sail ncl escape out of Miami, 4/30/23. Any other tips are welcome. Cheers!

Very nice report; thanks for all the details. What did you like best?

8-5 Jacks or Better VP at 25c is not bad, better odds than at many Vegas casinos nowadays. Unrelated fun fact: I have not been on Prima but I saw it from a distance at the Fincanteri shipyard in Venice this past summer as it was being completed and it looked very impressive.