adjensen

Just a timing update -- I applied for matching status ahead of a 9 June cruise on MSC, with a screenshot of my NCL Latitudes Rewards page as proof. Took about a week, but they bumped me MSC Gold, thanks to being Platinum on NCL (not quite the same thing, missing priority boarding with Gold, but whatever.) I was unable to use the MSC web site to attach my rewards account number to my existing booking, called the toll free number and they were able to do so.

Beware of the black bean soup/stew on the salad bar... absolutely fantastic, but more than a half a bowl will fill you up to the point where you don't want any meat 😃

36 minutes ago, PATRLR said:

I suspect you read what I read which was people (not NCL officials) trying to justify the change.

Could be -- like I said, I don't remember the source. But the bottom line is that it had nothing to do with "Social Distancing," which wasn't a thing when this change was instantiated.

28 minutes ago, PATRLR said:

I've seen people on CC say that, I didn't see it from NCL officially.  Do you have a pointer to where NCL actually said this?

Unfortunately, I do not -- it was so long ago, I can't even remember where I read it.

I'm not sure why this is a new issue -- they announced it before they shut down and stated that the reason was because so many people were getting the SDP, some of the restaurants would "sell out" and people were unable to get reservations. So they were paying for something (the gratuities,) that they couldn't use.

14 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

What’s up with The Escape...?  She’s my favorite NCL Ship

It's presently sailing to Rome.

I just got this email from Norwegian (see attachment) -- I thought that they dropped this (all-inclusive on the Sun and Sky) months ago, anyone have any idea what they are talking about?

I'm on the Sun starting Dec 2, and I have the drinks package as a perk (which required paying the service change, the old, "All Inclusive" bar program, did not require paying a service charge, nor paying taxes while in Miami.)

Are they bringing this back? Or is it just an inaccurate email?

WiFi in ports can be pretty hit and miss, not to mention potentially sketchy. Many bars and restaurants have free WiFi, if you're eating and drinking in there. Speed can be an issue, so if your idea of a great port day isn't sitting in a bar, trying to upload pictures to Facebook and cursing the time you're spending, because a hundred other patrons are doing the same thing, there might be better options (get the package on the ship, wait til you're home, etc,) out there.

Establishment places are probably your best bet, but ask a couple of the crew members where they go when ashore -- they usually have a good handle on places to connect to the Internet.

The thing about drinks on the Sun/Sky that you need to bear in mind is if it has a price on the menu, it isn't free. That seems obvious, but people get hung up on the beverage package on the other ships and think that anything that's under $15 is free, it isn't. If it has a price (and that includes wine by the glass from the wine list in the dining rooms,) it is not included in the "open bar" thing, the only exception being the five drinks that are on the first page of the bar menu, like Moscow Mule or Rebellious Fish, but that's because they are listed as being in a souvenir glass that you get to keep -- if you don't want the glass, the drinks are free.

16 hours ago, Kfamilycruise said:

are considering the Epic again (or the Encore -- can't decide!) 

We are leaning towards the Encore, mostly for the "Virgin Cruise" aspect of it, but we have lots of friends who are taking the Epic back to the New World next fall, and we wouldn't mind joining that cruise, either. The Epic is an awesome ship, and the itinerary that they are taking next year is very tempting.

I called about the "Free airfare" for an upcoming cruise and they said it wouldn't apply, flying from Florida to Vancouver, but they gave me a quote anyway, which was far out of line with what I was planning on arranging on my own. So I think this is another instance of "Your mileage will vary." As I recall, Expedia turned up a flight that was hundreds under what NCL could quote.

If it's free, great, take it. If it's not, look for a counter quote yourself.

I was also on the Epic transatlantic a couple of weeks ago, and the service in the restaurants (pretty much all of them,) was very, very slow. Our first lunch in Taste took well over an hour, and we put that down to a bad server, but over the course of the two weeks, it never got much better. Our last dinner, also in Taste, took over two and a half hours, and we skipped dessert!

We were told that several hundred crew came on in Barcelona and we could see the line of new crew getting on in Port Canaveral as we were getting off, so I think it can be written off as a lot of people who are unfamiliar with the ship they've just come on to.

You're overstating the amount of Deck 15 that was closed off, due to the maintenance they were doing -- it's confined to about a 20x30 foot area on the port side. Because it blocked off one of the two paths to get from the back of the ship to the front, it was rather inconvenient, but it wasn't all that big.

Well, I wasn't complaining! It was filling enough, as it was.

We were on the Epic transatlantic, earlier this month and ate at Cagney's twice. Ribeye was definitely an option, both times, though it was a regular ribeye, not the "Cowboy Cut" tomahawk bone-in ribeye that they used to offer.

Here is the porterhouse, a nice cut of steak, I have no idea what the person claiming it was "paper thin" was talking about.

6 hours ago, llrcno0210 said:

they said there’s an international law prohibiting straws.

 

Calling BS on that (calling it on whoever told you that, not on you.)  There is no international law prohibiting straws.

What happened is that some brainbox at NCL made an impulsive policy decision ("See that turtle with a straw stuck in it? We need to stop using plastic straws!") without having an alternative ready to go. Rookie Management Error. Given all the angst that NCL has generated from this, I'd say someone should be looking for a new job, but that's probably not going to happen.

At our CC Meet and Greet a few weeks ago, someone from the Epic tried a song and dance about the straws, that they were working on an alternative, but it had run into some technical problems. Really? You can buy paper straws on Amazon, today, for next to nothing, and you're having "technical problems"? Rookie Management Error.

We love escape room games and had a blast (and won! woo-hoo!) with Escape the Big Top on the Epic transatlantic a few weeks ago. We are taking another cruise next year, with friends who also like escape rooms, on the Breakaway, which also has the game, and we're wondering if the puzzles are the same or different? It would be great if they were even slightly different, as I don't think that we should play it again if they are the same.

You do not need to buy specialized tag holders for the baggage tags.

If you cruise a lot, you will eventually save money on staples and/or tape :')

I bought tag holders because they're cool and are a bit more reliable than stapling or taping (we drive to ports in Florida.)

Does anyone know in Florida if you have to buy from a distributor or if you can buy direct from the manufacturer/importer?

It's not quite the same thing, but I know that stores here have to buy from a distributor. There's a beer up in Minnesota that my wife likes, and that you can buy at Total Wine up there, so I asked the local Total Wine to order it and they said they can't, because it isn't carried by their distributor. When I pointed out that the Total Wine stores in Minnesota carry it, he said that didn't matter, because it's illegal for them to ship alcohol across state lines, only distributors can do that.

Costa Maya Mexico:.Grade D (with more than one ship in Port). C + (if only ship in Port). The day we were here there were two other ships in Port and the small cruise village and pool is way too small to accommodate that many people. Beers are expensive ($6) and there is not much else to really do. Taxis in to town are about $8 each way according to some people that went.

Taking the "shuttle" to Mahahual costs $2 per person and it's about five bucks to take a taxi back. By staying in the port area, you missed a pretty good time in Mahahual, which is full of cool restaurants, bars and shops. It's one of our favourite stops in the Caribbean.

I've never seen an Apple product for sale onboard.

If you're into overpriced perfume, cosmetics, necklaces, watches and alcohol, you'll be in heaven. Otherwise...

I would have to believe that, if they're still selling cabins, you can get a visa through them. Call and ask before booking, get the contact information of anyone who says "no problem" and you're good.

Having been to Alaska a couple of times to go salmon fishing with friends who are guides up there, rest assured that it's not a port thing -- everything in Alaska is expensive, everywhere. We are cruising on the Jewel next year from Vancouver to Seward and are just budgeting extra to account for prices that are anywhere from 10-100% higher than we have here in Florida.

There is a fjord day cruise in Seward that I've done twice and both times seen loads of whales, seals, porpoises and puffins. It's pricey but well worth it. https://www.alaskacollection.com/day-tours/kenai-fjords-tours/kenai-fjords-national-park-tour/

Ask at the Matre'd desk of the MDR, although you'd have to be paired with another couple that requests it. Best chances would be to go during a very busy time, when they will ask others "Do you mind sharing a table?" At 6PM, when the place is mostly empty, no one is going to be asked that.

I used to use the OBC to offset my wife's losses in the casino with my claim that we could do cruises in the future.

If all we get with Cruise Next deals is discounts on future NCL cruises, that's going to end, because we've already got three $250 credits on future cruises and adding onto that is not going to happen without the OBC.

Yes, the credit is for every port where you take a Norwegian booked excursion. $50 per cabin, not per guest, and it just comes off of your excursion fee, so a $100 excursion only costs $50 for the first guest.