pete_coach

Thanks but, point was, it was closed for the duration and as I understand it, this is not a one off thing and it has happened before an d since. It is very wrong. I am sure there are "theme" cruises on theNCL books now but there is no way of finding out;

Yes, I mentioned that. On another cruise they closed an area for a while but not the whole trip. I don't remember what they call it, it is the one up front on 12 or 13 deck.

It has not happened on any other cruises were have been on. Only NCL. There may have been groups on other cruises but no venues were ever closed.

No, we were on Pearl. I have read posts where this has happened. No compensation was offered and I asked. We were also on Bliss once when there were 400 religious folks on board but they only closed certain venues for private affairs during certain times. I am really just surprised this is not noted when making bookings. At least letting us know what is going on. I suppose if they did, lots of folks would just not book but it certainly is an inconvenience at the very least and restriction or loss of use of facilities. 🙂 We happen to really like the Observation Lounge.

We were on a cruise that had the observation lounge closed for the entire cruise. It turned out that it was for private events for those on a "theme" cruise. There were other restrictions during the sailing. We booked the cruise well in advance and kept informed about it through Cruise Critic Roll call and other information sites. Nowhere was there any indication of any sort of restrictions or themes onboard. We and other we spoke to were rather upset we could not use the observation lounge and on one night, the main dining room was closed except for those part of the theme. When we got back I called NCL and could not get any information about that situation at all. Was shuffled from one agent to supervisors etc and no one knew or could tell me about theme cruises even on upcoming cruises. Has anyone encountered this before? Were you informed about a theme onboard prior to sailing or at time of booking?

Like all "institutions", Cruise lines order consumables sometimes a year in advance, for economic, delivery and planning reasons. They therefore make menus that far in advance. A 21 day menu plan will cover 90% or the passengers as most do single 7 day trips or back to back for 14 days or less. I think if you look at the menus, there will be a right side and left side. The one side will be the same every night and the other will have that nights specials. Considering they restock every 7 days, it is not difficult to plan and the selection is not difficult to vary. We were recently on Oceania and had lobster several times but, it is quite inclusive (specialty restaurants are included) and you pay more for a Oceania cruise. Our last NCL cruise did not have lobster except in specialty restaurants. We have friends that were on something Of The Seas ship and they were in specialty restaurants where they had the "included" side of the menu and the other side was extras with an additional charge. $60 per person to eat there and then another $35 for a lobster tail. They were quite astounded and upset. We are on the 12 /24 Bliss LA to Miami. From Ottawa. Oh and, I do not miss "formal nights" nor Captains dinner. I was in uniform for 35 years and then business suit for 10 more so I have become a shorts and golf shirt guy when on vacation. LOL

Port, Naples. Because of the amount of things do do and see, Capri, Sorrento, Amalfi Coast, Portofino, Mt Vesuvius, Herculaneum, Pompeii oh and Naples too. Ship, Oceania Rivieria Cabin, Balcony, upper decks, mid ships.

See you onboard. 🙂 I think the menu generally is on a cycle, I suspect a 21 day cycle. We did a behind the scene tour on Celebrity Solstice a while back and that is how it was explained to us. It also has to do with what produce etc they can get. They have to order this well in advance and the menu can be affected.

We are Celebrity cruise fans. We have also done 2 and have booked our 3rd NCL cruise. Celebrity is great,, all aspects of it. NCL is trying very hard to get families with young kids (Laser Tag, Go Karts, Splash areas, Kids clubs, water slides etc) and that makes it sometimes very crowded. Also, it seems that it is difficult to get into the entertainment venues. Lineups and you have to get in line early. Food, well food is far to subjective to even discuss. Personally, if we don't have to cook, clean and have it served to us, that is good 🙂 So, which do we like best? We choose for itinerary as there are good things with all of them and there are bad things with all of them too.

We really enjoyed the Pearl. Great inside and the pool deck is large with lots of room.

The age is very dependant on the time pf year. Mid to end June till beginning of September there are lots of children so the average age drops dramatically. I would also like to add that the Summer experience can be daunting as it is the height of tourist season everywhere. Everything and everywhere is crowded and not just on the ship. In my opinion, NCL is an average line. They do cater to kids with go carts, laser tag rooms, splash areas, kids clubs etc. That makes the pool area very small and very crowded. This drives many to Haven, a cruise line within a cruise line but, it is certainly not budget friendly. We did one summer cruise on the Bliss with our kids and grandkids and it was packed. Sea days were horribly crowded. Breakfasts in the buffet everyday were a challenge, to say the least. Won't do that again 🙂

I remember calculating with P&P..... pencil and paper 🙂

Easy now. LOL Your discount may have been your math mistake 🙂

The "sale" NCL has ongoing has been going on for over a year now LOL

What is the difference between Balcony Cabin, Club Balcony Cabin, Family Club Balcony, on Bliss?

You did read post #94 where the OP said "My room steward vanished and did not answer the phone, I finally managed to catch up with him at about 3pm on Day 2. "? It is not like they did not try to contact the steward.

A critic is a critic, good, bad and indifferent is expected. If a critic always has good reports, they are not a critic, they are an advertiser. Yes,, I have read bad and critical reviews and comments of music, art, food and restaurants by critics. That is the job of the critic. A critic is "a person who expresses an unfavorable opinion of something." and also "a person who judges the merits of literary, artistic, or musical works, especially one who does so professionally." So, Cruise Critic can be both and, in the years I have been here, it is. I take both with the same grain of salt. I am unsure who was "slamming anyone who points out logical inconsistencies and fallacies".

I think that this forum is exactly the place for cruisers to review, comment, explain, criticize (Cruise Critic) and otherwise thier experience on their cruise. I suspect your "chronic complainers" are not all the same person and would reasonably suggest they are all different people so, lumping them up as "the chronic complainers" is not one but many different people sharing their experiences. Everyone has a different experience and they wish to share. That is the entire premise of social media. I can also say, in broad strokes that there are a lot of defenders or cheerleaders on specific cruise lines and they jump on anyone that has something not so positive to say. As I see it, everyone is entitled to speak their minds on social media and if is to warn or to share experiences, so be it. They had the experience so it is not up to me or anyone to downplay or make excuses about their experience.

Thank you for the update (clarification). I agree with your dismay and situation that should not have occurred. Has to make you wonder how many other cabins that the steward left in similar condition? You are right, Cruise Critic is a place to report issues and experiences and I thank you for doing so.

Respect is earned and for sure,if it was earned,they get all the respect due. No one here is disrespecting any crew, just stating the fact that on a changeover day, the cabin was far from acceptable. Like I said earlier, had you checked into a hotel and forund your room is a similar state, would you just excuse the hard working chambermaid or complain? In a hotel you would most likely get a different room but on a cruse ship, chances are there is no extra cabins, especially if you chose a specific location. You don't need to post a long monologue, the state of the cabin was totally unacceptable and the OP has every right to tell us.

No but you did excuse the state of the cabin insinuating the steward works hard. Fact is, the cabin was unacceptable and the OP has every right to inform people, The OP told someone about the state of the cabin. I am sure you would have told someone but I am also sure you would have been very upset. So, your glass houses, stones everyone is perfect comment is uncalled for.

Why should a new passenger have to do an inspection and report shortcomings? They have quality control and all should be done appropriately. And, to still be in need of service after 5PM? I am pretty sure you would not accept your hotel room in that condition? The front desk may give you a new room but a ship does not have extra cabins. Yours is a feeble attempt at excuses for something that should not happen.

It seems to me that all drinks have tax and gratuity included. When in ports, I think you pay additional taxes of whatever country it is.

You missed the entire point of the post. I made comments and comparisons. And one sentence of gratuities on a drink package was an afterthought, If I would have know so many would be shaken, I would not have mentioned it. Also, it was not a matter of declining, it was just the gratuity on a free item.

OK already. As I said, I made a post with lots of information and one sentence was an aside about the drinks and gratuities.