IAcruising

Without booking the exact rooms, on the exact same cruises, at the exact same times -- no, no one knows the amount you are supposed to be taxed.

No. Dress Up nights, if you wish. There are photographers available whatever night you choose to take pictures. Dressed up, or not.

It is what it is. I agree with you. You need to explore past what you "know", right?

We were on Ovation in Alaska. A very fine ship, but different from NCL. No drink package or specialty dining included. Great shows, but not "Choir of Man" level. We had no complaints but will choose NCL.

The Escape is a great ship. Very similar to a Quantum class like Ovation of the Seas. But different. Obviously. I think your girls will love it.

Wait. What? Is the Bird saying that the Haven restaurant should not have a rotating menu? That is the single most posted complaint about the Haven. And you agree with it?

Without actual knowledge of the true facts, you will receive your luggage whenever it gets there, with whatever tags you have. Haven, or not.

As a Loyal-to-Royal, you will not be as satisfied with NCL. We are NCL loyal and were not satisfied with the one cruise we took on Royal. It is all about what you expect. Both lines are the same, with different feels, vibes, packages, etc. You prefer what you know.

I can agree. Thus, pork belly seems to be a trend. Not for the animal fat conscious. I'd prefer a properly cooked beef pot roast.

Excellent. Now, how about the cheeeese?

"Hey, is that a Vicodin?" "Can't tell, pick it up." "No, you pick it up."

I can kind of relate. I'm giving up the last opportunity in my lifetime to see a total eclipse. Oh well, I'll be cruising. I'll get over it. It will probably end up being completely overcast where I was planning to stay anyway.

How does that work, exactly?

They aren't even bronze yet.

I will take one (or three) for team, starting next week on the Encore repo. This will be my 7th attempt. I'll be going in with pretty low expectations, so who knows?

Thank you so much. I was unaware. 😏 Here's a few ideas: leave Friday night after work or take a cruise that leaves on Sunday (there are 6 of them just in Miami this weekend), or maybe suck it up and take an unpaid day off. If that stretches the budget too much, maybe think twice about a cruise. It's not rocket science to figure out how to get in a day early.

It's called "sail away" for a reason, man! 😄 It's a thing. I would have no problem waiting for awhile. I guess the party would just last longer. But how long do you wait, and for what number of passengers, when no one knows if or when they will arrive?

I'm not. Why are these people flying in the day of embarkation? Getting left behind is the price you pay for that mistake.

I saw no personal attack, just a common reference. But I did notice you recognized yourself immediately.

We're well aware of the gnarly daily strip steak. We're watching the featured (changing) entrees. No beef yet.

Yeah, obvious one-off. Our show was not what you guys are describing. Maybe we were tired, or maybe we just didn't know what to expect. Maybe it was the song choices. But I'm absolutely on point when I say the show we saw was ALL about the tips, and ONLY the tips. Now we need to get back on a ship that has it, to see what we missed.

I am flummoxed. What I've read about Howl, and what we experienced, are like we are living on a different planet. Howl is the one.only.single show that we have ever left early on any cruise ship. We saw it on the Escape last November, and they were absolutely awful. The main guy left for 1/2 the time we were there, and he was the only redeemable quality in the show. I don't know if this was the last show of their contract or what. The performance of the songs was a joke, and I swear they were more drunk than I (and that's saying something). The entire thing, from start to when we left was a straight up money grab. At one point, the main guy stood up with $5 bill and said this was just a suggestion. Then he held up a $20 bill and said this is a request that will be played. I didn't know if he was joking or not. Tell me that this was just a one-off and maybe I'll give it a second chance. But damn, it was shiat-show as far we were concerned.

There is a reason why I get none, and it doesn't even include rocket science. 😄 Interesting thread, but no one will give it a second thought in a few days.

We're travelling with Mrs. IA's sister and husband for 21-days with $250 OBC each. He asked me what he could possibly spend all that money on? (we have all our specialty dining, drink package, excursions, and gratuities prepaid) I just laughed and told him we'll revisit this discussion at the end of the 1st week. 😆

Is there truly nothing in "the shops" you could use for $50? The list of liquor alone would give me no problem whatsoever.