scooter6139

IMHO - The newer Royal Class Princess ships are great for cold weather, as they don't have that many places to be outside, unlike other lines (only the top deck lido deck, which is sheltered). They are more inward looking/sitting than outside. I've only sailed the larger Breakaway+ class ships, and most of those were setup for Alaskan Cruising (specifically Encore and Bliss I think) with their large Observations Lounges for inside viewing. Holland America ships are more open, but they can close the entire pool area on the lido, so that is a bonus in cold weather.

Are the Thermal Suites worth it on the Vista class ships like the Westerdam? We just did a NCL Cruise on the Bliss and they have a gigantic but very expensive Thermal Suite at the aft end of the ship. (FYI - Cost for two on Westerdam is is less than half of one person on Bliss.) Totally understand I am just seeking personal experiences and opinions on this. Also have the Koningsdam next year to consider.

Just ask the waiter/server what the current options are to use a voucher. We did that every time we sat down for dinner.

Which I find odd, as Joy is not the only ship it is on and could use more "attention" to those seeking breakfast.

Just off the Bliss, Seattle RT to Alaska. They closed down the Casino I think around 3PM the 2nd to last day and didn't reopen as the ship never gets back to international waters. Lots of morons didn't listen and never cashed out their chips or vouchers.

Saw lots of these radio's on the Bliss two weeks ago, so not sure if they are enforcing this rule yet.

They have in the past done that, and I heard they are possibly doing it again with just the same small take and go breakfast, but no one knows about it as it isn't put in the announcements anywhere (I loved getting breakfast sandwiches there on Joy pre-pandemic). It was listed on the Joy back in the day, but haven't seen it listed as a breakfast option on Encore nor Bliss (I forgot to go check, as we were just on Bliss). American Diner was dead every time we went by.

Because they make lots of money off of it and it is their show piece amongst other mass market cruise lines. Personally, its also a waste on me, but so is the arcade, the pools, the sun loungers and sun decks, the Casino, etc. Wife and I joke that the entire top deck is not for us, but that's just us as we don't use or frequent any of those spots but we know others do.

No idea, as it replaced Margaritaville on all NCL ships I believe. The food isn't terrible, but not better than you can find anywhere else on the ship. In the American market, it is just a flop. No idea if it did better when it was in the Asian market. My bet is they will replace it at some point. Perhaps during the drydock next year, when they hopefully take out the silly Arcade and put in a Thermal Spa or something better (and don't get me started on the likely Observation Lounge debacle!)

Agreed, which is why we went with a Guaranteed SC to save even more. Really wanted a SA but nearly $1k more was a bit rich. Rolling the dice, but will likely end up with an SA anyway.

Depends on the ship. I know Joy, Encore and Bliss all have closed off area's for smoking, so it really reduces it in the rest of the Casino. But get anywhere near those glass doors and all bets are off.

https://www.ncl.com/ca/en/cruise-faq/smoking

Here's a stupid question: If using a latitudes or FAS dining voucher for a meal, what is the 20% based off of? Each meal I get has a different cost at the end depending on what I order, so if I was paying a-la-cart, the 20% would be based off my total bill. So is the 20% auto-gratuity the same, or is it based on an NCL value for that voucher?

Certainly welcome to try, but I don't believe NCL has any pity or good heartedness to accept a lowball offer on any cabins. 😏 Otherwise my Haven offers to my PCC at Balcony prices would go a lot better. 🤑🤣

We do this too now, as my memory sucks and usually can only remember the first name and their location. Unsure if the ship can figure it out by that alone.

These tipping threads are always interesting to read through due to different cultures and norms. Do what you want to do, tip or no tip, totally up to you. Just off the Bliss, I asked several employee's if they ever saw any of the gratuities (cabin steward, waiter, etc) that we used to manually tip in the past. The said no, they do not. It all goes to NCL. What NCL does with it I don't know and neither did they. So we've decided to go back to the old school way of just tipping in person. We wont remove or not pay the gratuities, as I still have hope they benefit the ships crew somehow.

We took advantage of it, but wish I was better prepared to put down more than one.

Just how old is that posting from the Gem?

Prices are not out of control. Perhaps in The Haven they are a bit high, but the regular fares match with other mainstream lines we've looked into for the same itinerary. In fact, NCL was cheaper than Princess, RCL, Carnival and Celebrity for our last jaunt to Alaska.

Fine, then please cruise on some other line as NCL is not for you. With those demands, guessing none of the mainstream lines are going to work for your demanding schedule and desires. Perhaps Oceania, or Viking? Of pay up for The Haven? And learn to relax. It's super easy once you are aboard any cruise ship. It's only as un-relaxing as you make it.

Off the Bliss, they released certain decks when they were done. I think the first 5 decks or so were around 2 pm or so. All were released well before the 4:30 I was expecting. We just parked our butts outside The Sugar Cane and drank, talked with our new best cruise friends, and enjoyed the spectacular view of Seattle Harbor. If you are just complaining about the cabins not being ready soon enough, then you are just cruising wrong. Relax and enjoy the ship. Or not and just get off so the rest of us can.

Just off the Bliss, we usually ordered double or triple stuff to make up for the fee. Felt sorry for the delivery person through, so they got an extra tip. Unloading 6-7 covered plates plus drinks was a lot. 😆

Just off the Bliss, the room steward just calls the same number you are supposed to call to get a dish pickup.

My PCC has told me repeatedly to only book NCL through him, so he's got to be getting something for doing so. All other NCL stuff goes through him too. He's not the fastest to respond (unlike my HAL and Princess ones), but he usually does what I ask.

So, for the Coffee Lovers package, is the Rotterdam 1873 that good? Considering it's most of the cost for that package ($25 for a card, mugs are likely $10 each).