Calvin

Thanks so much for the review and the pictures! I also posted a review on my 15-day Odyssey of the Seas experience, where I enumerated the pros and cons of the ship. I haven't posted much at all since, because a few MORONS decided to flame me. I guess they believed they owned RCI and wanted desperately to defend it. I was shocked because I posted both the good and the bad. One of the things I love about today's cruising is that we have so many, like yourself, who post reviews of various ships, so we can get a feel for it without sailing. In the old days, 😁, we would have to grab a static brochure and use our imaginations.

I bought the Key, largely because it was only a nominal amount above the internet service. On a 7 day cruise, I would likely purchase it again, but not on a 15 day cruise, because they charge a daily fee. I'm a big kid so I always like to embark as early as possible.

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/617ac6f28abd337ac8fc5f75/t/65a5b96543d23822e7a5bc94/1705359727065/The+Local+Menu+Norwegian+Cruise+Line.pdf Above is a menu I found re The Local.

The 24 hour restaurant is F-R-E-E. It's called The Local on some ships, O'Sheehans on others. It's a nice welcome from the usual sandwiches and pizza on other cruiselines. One of the wonderful things about cruising is that most lines do something a little different, and possibly better, for your desires. If you google the restaurant names and NCL, you will see the menus. There was no salad bar.

It's a shame that you almost have to put the disclaimer "so don't flame me", LOL. Only the short-sighted people do that, especially when you are simply asserting your opinion. My guess is that flaming is what stops a LOT of helpful comments, because many are not inclined to share their opinions because some people enjoy (themselves) because they get to make snide comments...

I'm with you! I love the many options that big ships carry, but I don't always have to partake. I enjoy just watching others...

I completely agree with complaining directly to the cruise lines, but I'll bet they also read many cruise comment boards to see what people are generally thinking.

I couldn't agree more. I mentioned the pros and cons of a recent Odyssey sailing, and mentioned the extra fees. I got flamed by morons who acted like they owned the cruise line.

Yep, I couldn't believe there were sooo many diamond and higher loyalty club members. I popped in the Diamond Lounge a couple of times but saw the same as you...it was packed.

You've expressed many of the same sentiments as I. I have my criticisms, but I would sail her again.

I was dying to make one other point: We just sailed on a 15 day Transatlantic cruise, there were very few children, but that may have influenced the number of adults present! We could NOT get a seat in the trivia rooms, for example.

I agree that midnight buffets have been gone for quite some time, but there are still those of us who clamour for them. As I mentioned, NCL has a 24 hour restaurant and, though used sparingly, it was still used (I can personally attest to that).

Yes, it really was a different experience back in the day. I remember when I used to make all cruiselines regret their "all you can eat" concept. I also recall eating dinner at 8-10:30, then attending the midnight buffet at 11:30. I really, really, made a pig of myself. Now as I've gotten older, they surely make lots of $ off me, LOL.

"That's why there are multiple cruise lines" I couldn't agree more. I was simply giving my opinions. Since you've sailed on 96 cruises you're likely to have a different perspective. This should be shared with as many cruisers as possible, because not everyone is aware of the differences, and that's why many come to these boards. You've even implied that there can be different types of cruises within the same line. BTW, though YOU don't care about late night food, I think very MANY people do care, that's why they used to have midnight buffets.

I just realized why I tend to appreciate the NCL ships a little bit more. I just got off of a 15-day Royal Caribbean sailing (Odyssey) and I realized that on this particular ship, they didn't have water slides. Though I don't use them everyday, I missed it. For me, cruising has always been a "Fun in the Sun" experience and I suspect that I have a little bit more fun when sailing on NCL, Carnival, or the other RCI ships.

I can empathize with that card/game playing issue too! My group decided to play cards one day, and we ended up having to go to the music hall where we were pretty cramped. I guess I should take the demographics into consideration, should we take a long cruise again. Up until then, the longest cruise we had ever taken was 10 days, and that was only twice. I'm starting to wonder if that had an effect on the entertainment? I tend to go to all the shows because I like them so much, but their shows were a little bit underwhelming, and I thought Royal Caribbean's entertainment was their forte.

Good point! Perhaps the passengers were more sedentary? I'm also certain there were not a lot of kids who could take 15 days off from school between October and November, LOL.

It's funny. For my group, the wine bar wasn't crowded, probably because we went during lunch. But I had already forgotten the crowds in the solarium, as well as the Diamond lounge. Like I said, it was a very nice ship and a very nice experience, but the common areas were very crowded. No one wants to go on a cruise and have to get to venues a half an hour early, just to get a seat.

And pay taxes. But you have not made a valuable comment at all. It was your suggestion to take food from the Windjammer, not mine.

While I could have gotten food from the WJ to save for later, why should I HAVE to bring cold food to eat later? Royal Caribbean could also only have 1 venue open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but they don't, and I'll bet you, and others would not want to cruise that line. Variety is the spice of life.

Everything you've said could be true for some but, I hadn't sailed in more than 1 year. Re lobster tails: "aren't that good" is a matter of opinion, but surely pax ate more than 1, whether because they were good, or because they could. We ate dinner during the 2nd seating, so the WJ being open until 9 was not late enough for us. The pub food and room service were not free. In comparison, NCL has a 24 hour restaurant, and some cruise lines have their buffet available until 11-11:30 at night.

I sailed a 15 day crossing from Rome to Ft Lauderdale. There were 8 of us and we had a wonderful time but I did notice some things that detracted from the experience. For comparison's sake, we've sailed on 38 cruises (Carnival, Celebrity, NCL, Princess, and Royal Caribbean) I greatly enjoyed the newness of the ship and its amenities, particularly iFly, Bumper Cars, and NorthStar. My slight disappointments came from: MDR trimmed down menu and no longer having unlimited lobster tails (cost of extra ~$17) One of my travelmates noticed that, after eating in the MDR, the only food options were pizza and weird sandwiches. That was because the other unique venues all closed at the same time. Crowded rooms for trivia and events (unless they were in the 270° Lounge). You basically had to arrive ~ 1/2 hour early to sit. Theater wasn't overpacked but getting a prime seat meant getting there !/2 to 3/4 hour early also. I wondered why this was so, given a healthy space-to-passenger ratio, then I thought perhaps it was because they used so much space for relatively empty watch stores (and the like), so the numbers could have been a bit misleading.

A group of friends is sailing on a repo cruise on the Odyssey in a few months. Are tickets required for the shows? If so, are people able to get them before the cruise begins?

HA! I was at the Chef's Table once before and thought it was a bit overrated. For those who like wine pairings it was probably a good thing. But one of the people in my group loves these dinners so...

That would be a shocker! I think they've already done away with the crab legs on another line, but I think they will still have filet mignon and lobster on any cruise 7 days or longer. In fact, in my 36 cruises of at least 7 days, they've always had them.