sunkey1

Then yes, it should. I'm probably a little pickier than some, especially when I've been on a new ship and then go on an older one. Just my opinion.

We did the Jewel to Alaska in June 2022 and it was in great condition, very well maintained. This in contrast to the Magic that we took in April that year that was very run down. The handle on my balcony door was wonky and I finally ended up getting locked out on my balcony. My hub called guest services and they sort of repaired it. Never got any kind of “we’re sorry that happened” follow up.

We tried that but about half the time it was too windy and the cards would blow around.

Only thing is that Vibe is so high up that you can't hear the waves....

Went on the Getaway in October last year and a combination of things made us both decide that we would take a break from NCL for a while. Now I’m trying to find a trip for this October and the Joy has the itinerary that I like the most, and I’ve checked all the lines. Just having a hard time pulling the trigger though after what we said last year.

We were offered a mix a few times at the Sunset Bar on the Getaway but it was not consistent. We just started bringing a bag of our own with us. We get one of the ice cream cups and just pour some into that.

NCL is one of the least card player friendly lines that we’ve sailed, it’s really hard to find good height, larger then an end table size tables to play at. We ended up playing at tables in the Sunset Bar on the Getaway. It had the larger tables that we needed for our rummy game and a bar waiter was always close at hand. 😏

Can’t do music as they run the risk of playing something that not everyone likes most likely. We found the area so uncrowded most of the time that we took a speaker and played our own music when no one else was around to get disturbed. Otherwise we used our earbuds. No biggie.

“Waste” is a very subjective word. I could say that people waste their money on suites or the haven but these are all personal choices. We had Vibe passes on the Getaway last October and it was one of the highlights of our cruise. Never a fight to get a (super comfy) chair, never a wait for a drink, in fact, we didn’t even have to go to the bar. It was worth every penny to us. Again, it’s a personal decision, but I won’t slam someone for making one that I don’t agree with.

Grab a cab to Orient Bay - Sunbeach Club. Nice padded chairs and umbrellas - no charge if you purchase food/drink. All was great and easy enough to grab a cab back to the ships. Beach was beautiful, tiny amount of seaweed just on shore on April 22nd.

Orient Beach, go to Sunbeach Club, no charge for chairs/umbrellas if you purchase drink/food. Great service, drinks and food. Orange Beach Club is next door and nice as well, although they do charge for chairs/umbrellas.

Was at Orient Bay on April 22nd. Small amount of seaweed at water's edge only. Most beach clubs were cleaning even that little bit up.

And that doesn't even start to list the options, at least on the Mardi Gras. Plus their beverage package is better, includes bottled water and specialty coffee. I will say that I plan to stick to newer ships (on all lines). They just seem to be more up my alley. But different strokes....

I'm not saying that I'll never cruise them again, I'm just saying that while I believe that their offerings have gone down in some ways, others have gone up. Our recent cruises on the Carnival Mardi Gras blew NCL out of the water. The entertainment was closer to what you used to see on NCL, great service, food variety was ridiculously abundant and the ship was beautiful - not the Carnival of old. That being said, we went on the Carnival Magic and the ship was in terrible shape so I do realize that things may vary from cruise to cruise. And as stated, our debark from the Mardi Gras at Port Canaveral was under 15 minutes both times, so it's not a ship or port issue, it's totally a cruise line issue. I think a big thing was that I felt my Platinum status on Carnival was valued way more than the same status on NCL (hubby concurred). Not a deal breaker at all but why be loyal if it's not going to recoup anything?

8:15 was actually the time that was listed in the debarkation materials that we received the day before we arrived.

Let me first provide a little history. I have been cruising since 1979 - my first cruise was a four nighter on the MS Sunward (NCL when they were Norwegian Caribbean Line). I had such a great time that the next year I went on the maiden voyage of the SS Norway (also NCL). That started my cruising addiction, with a total now of 54 cruises. I also loved it so much that I worked as cruise staff for a time on NCL, a great time that I’ll never forget. For the longest time I was an NCL snob, thinking that no other line could match up. It took me 11 years and 12 cruises before I tried another line and even after that I would return to NCL to try out a different ship or run. That being said, I think I may be about done with NCL, at least for a good while, as much as it pains me to say that. I just hate to see them going downhill after being the standard in so many areas for so long. This is just MY personal opinion. Variety is the spice of life so to each his own! Embarkation: What a zoo. Apparently the ship arrived a little later than planned. That was their excuse for herding us all into the terminal at one time, boarding appointments or platinum priority be damned. Suites/Haven were the only ones who received special treatment. Ship: The ship itself was well maintained and had ok décor for the most part, although it was quite dark. The dining rooms were dark, elevators were dark, lounges were dark. The pool, without a doubt, is the worst layout and size of any I have encountered in the aforementioned 54 cruises. This includes the first cruise on the tiny Sunward. The Getaway pool is an absolute joke, tiny, and crammed in between a stage and hot tubs. Barely any room for chairs but they were crammed in nonetheless. This was the most sardine like pool/deck area I’ve ever seen. The saving grace for this cruise was that we had booked Vibe for the first time. It was like an oasis compared to the general deck area. Cabin: We had a Club Balcony Suite which had a great bathroom (double sink and large glass door shower), plus a huge balcony that held two loungers plus a large table and two chairs. Great for eating breakfast each morning or playing cards. The lighting in the cabin left a lot to be desired, among the worst ever. Very limited tv stations or movies. We did request a coffee maker and were kept stocked with pods each day. Cabin steward, Paul, was fantastic. Crew: Crew was, for the most part, amazing. We did have consistently slow service in the main dining room, but the bar staff and room steward were fantastic. Cruise Director was just painful. I have a hard time watching a grown man giggle constantly at things that weren't even funny. Entertainment: This used to be all NCL, no one could even come close. Was really looking forward to Burn the Floor but we actually left early as it just seemed like the same number over and over, no real variety. We did see a different Burn the Floor on another ship and enjoyed it but this one was just too repetitive. Dancers were great, just didn't enjoy the show. Million Dollar Quartet was great talent, just not my personal cup of tea. Big area we thought was lacking was music around the ship. They had a few acts that performed short sets at a few places each evening, but mostly in the Atrium, which was always loud, crowded and crazy. We missed having places to go sit and just listen to the music. Food: Contrary to many postings I’ve seen, we actually found the food to be quite good, from the main dining room to the specialty restaurants (we ate at Moderno, Cagney’s, Ocean Blue, La Cucina). One of the highlights for us is always eating on the waterfront while the sun is setting. We thought the portion sizes were more than generous, although we may eat less than some. The big disappointment is the variety of options. Unless you want to pay, you have the main dining room, buffet or O’Sheehans for breakfast and lunch and they do tend to get old. Debarkation: Also a joke. We supposedly had priority debarkation for being platinum but if you do self assist then priority means nothing. Bunch that with the fact that half the ship does self assist and it was 45 minutes from when we saw movement in the crowd to when we actually walked off the ship. They had us walk half the circumference of the ship in order to space people out. Why not set up zones/tags for self assist if there are that many people? And it’s not due to the number of passengers or the port, the Carnival Mardi Gras had more passengers and we were off the ship at Canaveral both times in less than 10 minutes. For their platinum guests they set up a lounge with coffee and pastries and when the ship is cleared you are the first ones escorted off. NCL App: Definitely needs some work. Why not provide menus so that people can decide where they want to eat each day? What about a map to Great Stirrup Cay, in the app, or printed with the daily news. Was never correct for dinner availability, at least in the main dining room. You had to go to a touchscreen or the dining room itself. Again, these are just My thoughts/opinions. I still had a great time, it's just that NCL is not what it used to be and that pains me.

We were just on, did not start disembarkation until around 8:15, did self assist. With the lines, did not actually walk off the ship until 9.

Carnival offers the drink package free as part of a promotional booking rate (package is called Cheers). It is a much better package than NCL as it includes bottled water and specialty coffee.

For ballroom dancing a better option is going to be Holland America or even Princess

Platinum and Club Balcony Suite on the Getaway. Did check in at 125 days and then restaurants, then entertainment.

I booked dining early and entertainment a little early but I did it online, not through the app. I don't think the app is quite up to speed sometimes.

I paid $249 ea for an upcoming 9 day on the Getaway. First time getting Vibe passes so no idea what they used to run.

I called yesterday, 1st agent said ignore and just show up whenever, second agent said that times would become available on Wednesday and to select then, third person said to disregard as we are Platinum and can board whenever. Not really sure what to believe at this point so guess we'll just show up and figure it out then.

Yup, I want to get my vacation started ASAP so I don't mind waiting a bit at the terminal if it means I can get on the ship sooner and start trying out beverages at Vibe.

Unfortunately, common courtesy is not as common as it used to be.... We live in the "It's all about ME" decade!