AK Dreaming

17 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

I always thought 2X/day cabin service was a bit much.  If there are 3 bath towels (which seems to be the minimum), I’m good for the day.  If you need extra, just ask.

 

I don’t need my bed to be made up 2X/day.  Once is fine.  

 

I don’t keep glasses, dishes, half eaten food everywhere.  If I dine in the cabin, it’s only for breakfast.  And, the steward always takes everything away when s/he services my cabin.

 

All good for me.

I agree for the most part but we are three women this time (not my usual) and I have heard on some ships they leave the 3rd bed out all day making the closet difficult to use.  3 women no closet?  Chaos may insue.  LOL.

2 hours ago, wacruiselover said:

I can't believe that no one on this sailing is sharing with us. We are on the 4/29 sailing and would love to hear experiences, entertainment on board (is Archie still playing?) and dailies.

I know!  I'm on next week and was really hoping for some updates.

40 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

The Ugly

 

1. Service: Across all outlets, service was pretty bad. Waitstaff were clueless. Bar staff were snippy/impatient. Guest services staff were overwhelmed. Room steward wasn't present. Constantly given conflicting info by staff members. Probably the worst service I have ever had on a ship - and not just one department, but all departments.

 

2. Lines: The ship was packed. I've sailed Bliss full before, but never, ever, experienced hour long waits EVERY time we tried to do anything. NCL promotes Freestyle, yet you can't actually do things (like eat) when you want. The only solution was to line up at least 40 minutes before you wanted to do anything. That's not my idea of Freestyle. Every venue was crowded, very few areas to sit, elevators were a joke (we actually gave up even trying and just walked the stairs). We didn't attempt to get off in Victoria, but it looked like a long line/wait for those that did! 

We get on the ship April 22nd and are also in a Club Balcony Suite.  What deck were you on?  I'm concerned we will get the same steward.

18 hours ago, Apsalar said:

What is your 11 year old doing for fun since Splash Academy has been full? We'll be on the Bliss next week with our 8 year old and I'd love to have some ideas to keep her occupied if it's the same sort of situation.

Hi  We get on the Bliss the week after you.  If possible could you post about your embarkation, when rooms are available and restaurants open.  I've heard varying information.  I'm just trying to figure out the best time to board with my mother.  Thank you!

I liked the studios so much, my sister and I got adjoining Solo cabins one cruise instead of sharing a balcony.  

27 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Hope that’s the case.  Just saw the White Sail Pass excursion is not showing on my excursion page.  That either means it’s canceled, or sold out.  Did kind of want to do it again with the snow still on the ground.  Maybe they can’t get it cleared?

I had it booked for 8:30 am but NCL changed me to 10:00 am without letting us know.

11 minutes ago, smillerholmes said:

Yikes!  That is very late.  Any info on what the delay might be?

From what I've read on several other threads, the change from 2X a day service to 1X a day means the Stewards have twice as  many rooms to service so the cabins take a lot longer to get ready.  

1 hour ago, graphicguy said:

That works, too.  

 

I don’t check my roll aboard or backpack.  I check in later usually, and take my bags right to the cabin.

I don't know if you are following the semi live from the Bliss today, but their cabins were not ready at 4:30 p.m.  That's very late.  

46 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

Rooms were meant to be ready at 4:30. They weren’t! We requested beds be put away in morning and made up at night. The bunk was folded up in morning but sofa bed remained a bed. At night, we had to pull down the bunk ourselves.

That is what I figured.  We were told a very different story by NCL.  They assured me the bed would be set up and put away daily.  Acutal reports from CC prove otherwise.  

15 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

I am on Day 2 of a cruise and have talked to my room steward a half dozen times. Not in depth discussions, more of the “have a great day” conversations and he has bent over backwards for us. 

What ship?

We get on the Bliss April 22nd. I've been told rooms are usually ready by 1:30 even after the switch to once a day service.  Seems your experiece proves that incorrect.  I am interested in how they work setting up the beds and reverting them back to daytime use with only once a day service.  We are three in one cabin and this is a concern.

10 hours ago, ashank1m said:

That is a standard service.  Steward will come in the morning when you leave to put it away.  When you leave your room for dinner, he/she will come back and pull it down for the evening.  But then they have cut back on 2X daily service to 1.

That is why I was asking.  If they only come 1 time a day it seems like they would leave the couch set up as a bed all day making moving around the room very inconvenient.  I've asked NCL and they say they will set it up and take it down, but real life answers from these boards seem to tell a different tale.

We were booked on the 8:30 AM White Pass excursion.  When I checked my reservations today it said 10:00 am.  I called NCL and they said the 8:30 AM was cancelled and they moved us to the 10:00AM with out notifying us.  We have another excursion booked with a different company which we may or may not make. The train excusion is 10:00AM and 2 3/4 hours and we are supposed to meet our next tour on the pier at 1:45PM.  Anyone with experience getting off the train and to the pier, please advise how long it takes.

15 hours ago, Gibberish1 said:

Hi! Can you please give advice on whether or not buying the unlimited internet package (not premium) is worth the $110 per person charge?

 

It is for me.  I get it everytime, but I use it alot.  Not everyone does.  I just like the convenience of not logging in and out.

15 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

So, got a BoA NCL MASTERCARD for no other reason than to take advantage of the $200 OBC for new card holders.  Charged the cruise fare to it, and am getting ready to pay for it before interest charges start.

 

Problem is, the $200 OBC hasn't shown up in my on board check in account.  Call to BoA, and after a 20 minute wait, was informed I needed to talk to NCL.  Talked to NCL, who says to talk to BoA.  Call BoA again and get new card sign up, who says I need to talk to customer service.  Another 20 minute hold time, only to hear I need to talk to NCL.

 

This is a cluster.  Think I'll pay it off and cancel it immediately.  

 

Moral of the story, don't apply for and try to use the NCL BoA card and expect them to adhere to the $200 of OBC they promise.  At the very least, I'll cause them to churn out some paperwork to cancel for my troubles.

I"ve used my BOA Mastercard for many OBCs and even a cabin upgrade once.  That being said I just requested a transfer of $200 for my April 22nd cruise and it hasn't shown up yet, so maybe this is a new problem.  I'll give it a few days before I call.

4 hours ago, graphicguy said:

Given I've sailed out of Seattle previously, transport to the pier has been dicey, at best.  I've used NCL's transport, which is reliable, but SLOW!  Have tried some of the SEATAC to Pier shuttles.  One made me wait an hour and a half before departure.  The other didn't even show up to pick me up from the airport until I got tired of waiting and grabbed an UBER.  As an aside, I was already on the ship having my first cocktail when the driver showed up at the AIRPORT 3 hours after my scheduled pick up time.

 

So, at best, transport is dicey.  May have to go the UBER route, again.

Last time out of Seattle we used the hotel shuttle.  We were crammed in like sardines and picked up other hotels.  Took a long time to get to the pier.  This time I decided I would just take a cab.  After changing hotels 3 times I decided on a hotel out by the airport.  Will it be hard to get a cab?  I figured since we are the only ship on the 22nd it would be easier.

It was so much fun!  We got to hold babies and swim with the bigger pigs.  We feed them apples and it was a great experience.  I've recommended it to everyone I know!

36 minutes ago, purpleally said:

That would be horrible if you did happen to get a haven room

The way I found out was that someone had booked the Haven a year out and was sent a letter that they had to move.  They actually rebooked a different cruise.

2 hours ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

@AK Dreaming, you will remain outside Pier 66 until the NCL ship reaches 'zero count' and then the terminal opens for embarking passengers.  The closest place to grab a coffee or snack will be back across the street at the Waterfront Marriott at the street level coffee shop.

Are you saying we wait outside of the termnal for zero count?  I've not been to Seattle in years, but every other port, you go through security, get your key card and wait in the terminal for zero count to board.  I'm plantinum so I go on board right after Haven.  I've just sat in NYC terminal for almost an hour and they had not place to shop, get a drink or be comfortable.  I was hoping Seattle was more like other terminals with more amentities.

Sorry, it is Pier 66, NCL.  When I read our hotel reviews they were very positive, but have since just read the Pioneer Square reviews and have moved hotels.  Now staying at he Marriott waterfront.  Can we just walk from there?  I will be with my mother, so I want to make sure it is an easy walk.

1.  I am planning to stay at the Embassy Suites and it is 1.5 miles to the port. Seems to short for a cab and to long to walk with all the luggage.  Will getting a cab for that short a ride be difficult?  

2.  I usually get to the port very early as I will be very excited.  I know the waiting areas are very different based on the ports (not Haven this time).  Are there places to get a snack and or shop while waiting for the stragglers to get off the prior cruise or is it just uncomfortable chair in a big room like NYC?

Thank you for any help.

Even though I have the drink package I always purchase extra cans of diet Coke from the bar for my cabin so I can enjoy a breakfast soda on the balcony.

On 3/23/2023 at 2:06 PM, VUCruiser said:

On the Bliss the week before-we’ll get the ship warmed up for you! 😊

Will you post pictures of the Dailies.  I know they are very different in Alaska.  I'd like to plan my dinner reservations.  TIA

12 hours ago, vakmom said:

We just got off the Dawn. We had 3 in a tight balcony cabin. Our Stewart told us he could not pull the sofa out and also fold it up. We would have to do one and he would do the other. The problem was he made our room mid afternoon. We would fold the bed away in the morning and he would unfold it around 3 pm. We were able to step on it to get to the balcony but I would not recommend it for anyone with mobility issues. If it was just the 2 of us the once a day service would have been fine with us. We even offered $$$ but he apologized and said he was not allowed to come back in later to unfold the bed. I felt bad for him he seemed so overworked. 

I was assured by NCL that they would make up our third bed and put it away every day.  From what I'm reading that is not always the case.  It is very frustrating. We are 3 women 53 to 73.  There will be some mobility issues if the bed is left out all day.

1 hour ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Why would you miss your dinner reservations if you haven't gotten your luggage?

If you wanted to change out of your beachy clothes and dress for a dining room?