Sigyn

3 minutes ago, 4-2-N-8 said:

Based upon quite a few reviews here on CC, if you are in the Retreat, you're doing quite well (and certainly don't have to deal with what, by all accounts, is a truly "pioneer" Ocean View Cafe/buffet).

 

I should think then that the Sky Suite would be nice.

oh yeah, I'm just being silly. I do that a lot. 🫠

So, what I'm hearing is that I'm not likely to get any special treatment ahead of time. Now I'll know how the pioneers felt. 

I'm a woman and I would love to cruise through the Panama Canal.

Our cruise is a month from today. Should we expect to hear from the concierge or butler, or whomever, ahead of time for our sky suite in the retreat for our cruise? 

20 hours ago, Ellis1138 said:

Sorry to all the Coffee Mate lovers, but I can't do the artificial creamers or sweeteners. 

I understand. I was just teasing by mentioning my Coffee mate that I use at home. I used to drink heavy cream in my coffee when I did low carb 25 years ago. It was difficult to find that anywhere, and no one else was doing low carb in those days, so the looks I got when I asked for heavy cream for my coffee in Los Angeles were quite something! 

2 hours ago, mahdnc said:

 

Let's wait and see what your screen name becomes after you are a grandmother.  In the mean time, I am going to have to brush up on my Norse mythology.  

you're welcome 😂

The reviews are always really bad for any ship. I learned to stop reading them last year, for any cruise line, because they're not an accurate reflection of what my own cruise experience will be. The vast majority of people use the reviews to complain, not to compliment. 

22 hours ago, mahdnc said:

 

Lol! Wow! Are you a fugitive perhaps? Or is this a cry for help?

Now, for my serious answer. I created that user name when my child was a year old and we were planning our first cruise with him. (What a disaster THAT was! Do NOT cruise with a 21 month old.) I don't identity myself solely as my child's mom anymore, like you do when your kid is that tiny and cannot survive without you. So I decided it was time for a name change. I had to go through tons of names before I found one that wasn't taken by the CC folks already. The goddess who is married to Loki seemed appropriate. 

This a clear violation of your rights as a consumer. It's an infringement on your constitutional rights. It's outrageous, egregious, preposterous.

8 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

There really needs to be 2023 cut back tracker with everything passengers lost in 2023

I hear they're serving Coffee mate. 

8 hours ago, mahdnc said:

 

Lol! Wow! Are you a fugitive perhaps? Or is this a cry for help?

yes

On 5/16/2023 at 9:13 PM, mahdnc said:

 

You are cracking me up.

@mahdnc I thought you'd want to know I changed my user name for the first time in 14 years. But not my picture. You're not imagining things. 🫠

Reading this at home as I sit and drink my coffee with Coffee mate. 

Thanks for posting, Don. I hadn't heard this. I'm waiting until the road is repaired before taking my husband to Denali. I saw it 20+ years ago, to the end of the road, and I think it's definitely worth waiting on the full experience. 

On 5/6/2023 at 9:07 PM, CruiserBruce said:

Plus there is lots of bike lanes on both sides of the Bridge and it's approaches.  Hundreds of people bike the bridge each day. Just crossed the bridge today...in a 5 minute car crossing, saw 30 or 40 people crossing on bikes.

it's soooooo windy!!!!

3 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

Uh oh! My Millennial self feels targeted. ❄️

 

We're watching you!!!! 😂

2 hours ago, RB9643 said:

 

It's good to be an Xer.  The Boomers and Millennial's always seem to be in a constant battle, while we just kick back and laugh at both of you.  🤣

That's because we were latchkey kids. 

3 hours ago, nitecapt said:

 

Hello! First time cruiser and first time poster. Please be kind to me! LOL

 

My wife surprised me with an upcoming cruise which she planned along with her daughter, SIL and two grandchildren. We are a retired couple and 'the kids' do quite well for themselves. Not being familiar with cruising, she left all the planning up to them. We are booked on The Joy 5-night Bermuda. We will occupy a Haven Courtyard Penthouse w/Large Balcony. After all was said and done, I realized that the kids spared no expense in selecting our cabin category. Our final total was just shy of $8000 - ($800 of that amount was insurance). I can only imagine what kind of cabin they selected for the four of them!

 

I'm a bit upset with the unexpected expense and see that this trip could've been around $3200 had we selected a basic balcony cabin. I'm a simple guy - give me a lounge chair in a quiet spot and I'm fine. The thought of butlers doting and exclusive areas, quite frankly, makes me uncomfortable. Wifey isn't too happy with me because she realizes that if we booked a cheaper room we couldn't fraternize with the rest of the family in The Haven. So it looks like I've lost this battle. Lesson learned: do your own homework and don't leave it up to others to help you spend your money. Also, the stingy amount of allowed internet - 75 minutes! - seems out of line with the price paid. Now, on top of everything else, I have to dip deeper for internet. And yes, for a variety of reasons, I need to touch base with the folks at home. 

 

I guess my question is..is The Haven a worthwhile expenditure? Will I be like a fish-out-of-water with the upper echelon? Will I cringe as my party is lead past the passengers in steerage who are patiently waiting in line? I realize the ‘worth’ of something is subjective, but I’m looking for some feedback. 

 

You can book a Haven cabin on the Joy that's not in the Courtyard for a couple thousand less than one that is in the courtyard. Perhaps you can do that and change cabins and reach a compromise that saves you some money and still allows your wife access to the Haven amenities and her grandchildren. 

Edited to say I read other posts afterward that suggested this very thing, with more specific details. Good luck and happy changing!

1 hour ago, cruiseny4life said:

@njsmom and @laudergayle, y'all need to be compensated by NCL for your excellent marketing of Pr1ma. This is the first time I've wanted to sail on it after hearing all the reviews on Cruise Critic/YouTube. When the marketing materials came out, I definitely wanted to hit it up, but then it seemed reality really killed the ship. I'm so glad you both had a wonderful time and now am looking forward to when I can afford to sail her...in like 100 years. 🙂 

lol. I just enjoyed my cruise. 🙂 my next cruise was four months later on Harmony of the Seas and I enjoyed that too, altho the food was 3x better on the Prima and I had the specialty dining plan on Harmony and didn't go to the MDR once. But as for comparison, I liked the Prima a bit more than the Harmony. It was prettier and I liked the size of the ship more. I did like Central Park on Harmony tho. It was gorgeous. I'll be on the Celebrity Millennium in July and I bet I like that one, too. 

9 minutes ago, toyotamom said:

You are my new best friend.

You're the same age as my best friend, and she dresses just like me, so, I know what I know. 🙂

On 5/28/2023 at 3:26 PM, hallux said:

You pay $20 pp/pd if you take the drink package.  Compared to what other lines charge for the drink package (it can double the cost of the cruise on some lines) it's entirely reasonable as an included perk.  Sure, it's unreasonable when considering a European itinerary where alcohol service may be limited.  Neither of the cruises in question is going to have that issue.

Agreed. 

5 hours ago, Liljo22 said:

How long ago was that $59? RCL increased their drink package significantly in the past year.  The cheapest I have seen it is $71.99/pp/day plus 18%.  Honestly still worth it for my wife and I.  
 

My last two cruises have been with RCL but the perks brought me back to NCL for my next cruise.  Shopped a pre Christmas cruise out of Galveston.  Family of 4 in a balcony on the Prima came to about $4,800 after the cruise first discount,  Harmony with one less port was about $5,000.  I would then add over $1,200 for the drink package.  This doesn’t even factor that we have two dining credits for my wife and I to enjoy.  

Same here. My March trip on Harmony of the Seas was $71.99 pp/day plus the 18% extra. I didn't buy it, just bought my drinks as I went along, and drinks for my teenage son as he wanted them. I paid less than $300 total for our drinks on our cruise doing it that way for the two of us. Much cheaper. I didn't have much at all to drink both because many types of alcohol can give me immediate headaches and I was on a mother-son trip and wanted to be alert and ready for mom action at all times. 

My husband will be with us on this trip and he is able to drink without side effects like I get, so he'll enjoy the drink package much more than I will. I do love Veuve Clicquot, and it doesn't give me headaches, but I saw that NCL doesn't allow that on the premium drink package any longer, so we definitely won't be upgrading. 

2 hours ago, kitkat343 said:

Sorry - I meant the charge was significant enough that if NCL can't fulfill the alcohol due to a legal dispute with the local ports they should refund it.   If the fees were really cheap like only 50 cents a day, I could understand them not bothering to refund people if they can't provide drinks due to a legal dispute.   But I totally agree  that the base NCL alcohol package is quite reasonably priced when the drinks are available.

Makes sense!

This sounds like such an amazing trip. I need to train in order to prepare for it, but it will be well worth the effort! I am getting my scuba certification next month, but clearly there's lots more to do in the Galapagos.

49 minutes ago, tedsto said:

Our Xpress passes also show CALL. I called the shoreside concierge who checked the reservation and said all ok. She also said that the suites include stream and prem bev. 

I would look at your invoice and make sure it's correct on that. Mine showed the wrong thing when I went from a veranda to the Retreat (not MoveUp, but paid for myself) and I had to sit on the phone until they corrected it and sent me an updated invoice. It's likely it would have been fine once I was on the ship, but it's always easier to have it corrected beforehand.

1 hour ago, NoobCroozer said:

omfg....sorry

I'm just teasing. 🫠

Why oh why would you want to associate with Aqua Class when you're in the Retreat? 🤣

Can someone please correct the spelling in the title of this post? I'm having editor shivers every time I see the word "REDICULOUS" 🤣