MrsKC08

On 11/1/2019 at 3:22 AM, Ennzo said:

Cash tips are ours to keep it goes directly to our pockets, some bars/bartenders split tips but that depends on idividuals.

Interesting information. I have friends who are bar tenders on another line, and they have to pool all the tips, even cash ones at the end of the cruise, with those that work their same shift at that same bar.

On 12/7/2019 at 7:49 AM, Deeliteful said:

 A lot of people   think Nachi Cocom is better but after trying it once I was not impressed.

 

 

 

Sorry to hear that you didn't like Nachi when you went. We prefer it over Mr. Sanchos because it is less crowded (they only allow a certain number to be there). The service, food and drinks have always been perfect for us...but like anywhere they can have an off day. We are looking forward to Nachi again in March.

11 hours ago, Deeliteful said:

Well sad to say that my second bout of poor service was dinner at Cagney’s on my last night.

Despite having a reservation for 7.45 I had to stand in line and eventually taken to my table after 25 minutes.

Again table not set, no cutlery, side plate, glass or salt and pepper.

Started off with lobster bisque which was very good. Ordered Filet Mignon with truffle coated fries and maitre d butter.

Had to wait nearly 15 minutes for the butter so steak was cold by then, it was very dry and needed something on it.

Brownie and ice cream were good but I felt very frustrated that I seemed abandoned by the servers everything took so long.

I complained and was told that I had to go to Guest Services to get a credit, they were unable to do it.

At Guest Services, you guessed it, they said Cagney’s had to do it! The guy at GS had a real attitude problem, rolling his eyes and sighing! Eventually after several phone conversations between them I got a credit $24. He said my package was $118 and that was the right amount. Now I am no mathematician but 118/3 is $39. He said those were the rules. I asked for a manager. Now I am not bothered about $15 but it was the principle of the thing. He was another “jobs worth!” That is company policy, that is all I can do.

Now I had had a great cruise and this was not a great way to end it.

Did it spoil my cruise? No

Did it leave me with a feeling that NCL don’t give a damn about customer service? 
Yes I’m afraid it did!

 

Oh no. So sorry to hear about the service at Cagney's and the outcome at the end. I think I would have been a little on the upset side myself too. I'm hearing more and more about the lack of customer service on these ships. I'm starting to get a little nervous about our cruise in March.

17 hours ago, ClevelandCruisin said:

Here it is! They must be following! 

Am I the only one that thinks it's ridiculous to switch to paper straws if you are still going to use the plastic throw away cups?? Seriously? 

The mudslide looks delicious though! LOL

5 hours ago, trummy said:

Being from Nashville, I must say, if all you saw of Nashville is Broadway, you really cheated yourself by not venturing out to the real Nashville.

Couldn't agree with you more. I work in downtown Nashville, and only spend time on Broadway when a friend is playing somewhere there. BUT, the best music for us is over off of Music Valley Drive. There is so much more to see than Broadway, but everyone should see it for sure.

14 hours ago, ClevelandCruisin said:

We made it to Bourbon street.

 

Just like Nashville... Broadway Street, it's very overrated. Did it and done.

 

It's definitely for a college crowd!

Following along, as we are sailing the Getaway March 1.

I have to say that as a Nahville girl, I disagree with your statement above! I hardly consider Broadway overrated! 

Can't wait to try Cafe du Monde.

10 hours ago, nikkosan said:

I have three cruises lined up for next year, all three booked directly with NCL, and then one subsequently transferred to a Travel Agent we met on board our last repositioning cruise back in April.

 

The two we have booked directly with NCL have always been showing the "vacation add-ons" on the summary page on NCL.com, however, the one we transferred to the TA (and for which he promised substantial perks), do NOT show any.

 

The TA initially mentioned (6 weeks ago) that he had to get in touch with NCL, fill out some forms, and that the perks would show up in a couple of weeks (they didn't), whereas for the OBC, once on board the ship, we would have to go to the Finance Desk, ask them to send to the TA a Non-Sailing Credit Card Authorization Form to load the credit onto our onboard account because it could not be completed in advance. 

 

Now, a month after, with no perks showing up on my account, I sent him another email (which took an extra couple of weeks to get answered)  asking for clarification and received a reply that the perks would show up AFTER the cruise was paid in full (balance due on Dec. 20), through him.

 

Is this person telling the truth?

 

Any feedback from previous experiences would be greatly appreciated.

We have a cruise booked for March on Getaway that we booked with a TA. Our perks are showing up in our travel summary and vacation add on's. I can't speak for the OBC because that is not a perk we got with this sailing. However, I know in past that the OBC's offered by our TA didn't show up until day 2 of our cruise on our onboard account. We didn't have to do anything like go to guest services or anything they just showed up automatically.

4 hours ago, Sauer-kraut said:

Ask your travel agent to give you an amenities confirmation.

Agree with this. Whenever I've booked with a TA, I always print out my invoice/email that shows the things I get with each sailing. HOWEVER, I will say that those emails don't really help when onboard because the onboard staff is different from shoreside staff. We just went through this on our Royal Harmony cruise a couple weeks ago. We were missing an OBC for one of our cabins from our TA. I had to contact my TA and they contacted the shoreside office for RCCL and then they contacted the ship.

2 hours ago, yankees111 said:

I couldn’t  fathom paying $179 extra to board a cruise ship 15 minutes earlier then a non suite guest.

Agreed!

I can see it now...the status labels are going to start flying out at the embarkation ports if they see those that paid for this "perk" going on before them. Heaven forbid someone is on the ship 20 minutes before they are. Quite frankly I wish cruiselines would simply allow B2B cruisers, then suites, then everyone else, depending on when they checked in, not how much they cruise...period!

2 hours ago, Kwakwa630 said:

 

No hate - I've also purchased and was secretly hoping it was the Getaway (I board in a week!).

Please report back how it works for you in NOLA. We sail in March.

It's really shocking and kind of a shame that there is not an equivalent to RCCL's Refreshment package that offers specialty coffee and mocktails and milkshakes. 

To be quite honest, hubby and I were shocked to find out the drink package is $99 per person per day, especially when it's offered as a "perk" if you wanted it. Not sure how they can truly justify a cost like that when most others lines are almost half that and/or offer a pre-cruise discount if purchased prior to sailing.

I've read all 5 pages of this thread, and I agree with many posters on here. If you are cruising to see specific ports, maybe you shouldn't cruise to them, but instead go on a land based vacation to them! That way you can truly experience the area and it's culture. For us, cruising is about the ship experience mostly. We book our cruises based on the ships we are sailing and what they have to offer...not specifically about where we are going. Cruise contracts (not just with NCL) state that changes can be made to your itinerary at ANY time. That means months, weeks, days or even while on that sailing, they can change your itinerary. The destination is the ship, after all! It just happens to be your means of transportation from place to place, but it is where you are "residing" during your vacation.

I'll admit, I'm new to NCL (doing my first in March), but I've cruised many other lines and my husband has cruised more than I in his previous life. I frequent these boards often, for all different lines and often I hear the same gripe about the customer service and funny thing...it can be from any of the mass lines and yet the same complaint about customer service. So, if you think it's just NCL that has the bad CS, think again. Just read through these boards someday and you'll see what I mean. It all comes down to what makes YOU happy, and some expect more than others and some can never be happy. Life is too short folks! Enjoy ever minute. The complaints you share are all 1st world problems. There are people that will never have the ability or luxury to cruise. My dad only got to experience his first cruise a couple years ago when we invited him along, and just did his 2nd with us...but it is just not something he can do very often as a person on a fixed income. But he is happy to just be able to have this type of vacation.

To the OP, I'm sorry you didn't get to go to the ports you were wanting to go to, but cruising is so much more than just the ports you visit! :) 

15 hours ago, mjkacmom said:

I have a 16 year old with celiac and a 23 year old who is mostly keto, unfortunately the only choice my 26 year old has is gluten free, my 23 year old has some cheats.

You mention 16 year old, then 26 year old, so I'm a little confused. Anyway, this keto girl does not "cheat" so...

14 hours ago, FLcruisergrl said:

Totally understand you on this. My 15 yr old daughter has celiac and I choose to eat Keto/low carb. If they can’t accommodate my diet, I can adjust. She cannot. It’s always best to contact the access desk ASAP so that they can plan appropriately for passengers’ requirements or requests. Additionally, as you know, gluten free food is different than celiac-safe food. Luckily, NCL gets it! When I approached the dining manager on the Sun and explained that my daughter needed to have gluten free food, his response was “gluten free or celiac safe?” I was so relieved!

Celiac and gluten free or gluten sensitive/intolerant are two different things. I don't think the OP mentioned his wife was Celiac but just gluten free. Yes, Celiac is a completely different thing and requires more preparedness, I definitely admit that. I just didn't see any mention from the OP about celiac...maybe I missed that? 

19 minutes ago, smplybcause said:

 

Just as an FYI - Royal asks that you inform them of special diet requests that far in advance too. It's just that if diet is your only need it is often easy to handle on board. But it's also possible they could run out of things. I know on Royal their gluten free bread was not made on the ship - theoretically they could under order if a lot of GF people were on the ship but did not inform them causing them to run out. 

I sail often, and they always have gluten free options on the menus, buffets, specialty restaurants, etc. Matter of fact, on our most recent cruise (11/17-11/24) on the Harmony, at each meal when we ordered if it wasn't with our normal waiter in the MDR they always asked us about dietary issues or restrictions so that they could make suggestions or point us to the right menu!

14 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

Yes, being gluten free for medical reasons isn’t the same as keto, they want to make sure they have enough gluten free carbs available (pasta, bread, cookies, waffles, pancakes...), gluten free sauces and gravies.

Although I agree that "gluten free" isn't technically the same as keto...keto is a little more limited in that anything keto IS gluten free but not everything gluten free is keto (like the breads, pasta, cookies, etc that you mention in your post). And I'll add that many people live the ketogenic lifestyle because of medical reasons 😉 

Following along just because....

1. We love live reviews and the Harmony (we sailed just before you 11/17-11/24)
2. We are dog lovers too (we have a maltipoo and a ShiPom)
3. I need to live vicariously through cruisers between cruises and we have 89 days until our next cruise (and it's not RCCL)!

love your nails and your door decorations!

I'm surprised that you would need to contact the cruise line so far in advance like others mentioned above. Granted, I have not sailed NCL (my first cruise is in March), however I cruise often and as a Keto gal I have never had a problem letting them know upon embarkation about my restrictions and many nights I just let them know the first night of my cruise. They have a separate menu for gluten free (all of my past cruises have anyway...Princess, Royal, Carnival). From that point on, I ordered my following days dinner the night prior so that it would be ready and prepared when I came to the dining room. As for breakfast and lunch options, I didn't have a problem at all finding items when ordering whether at the MDR, buffet, specialty restaurants, etc.

One of the main reasons we always book with a TA!

I'm a keto girl, and drink LOTS of water. I do bring flavor drops for my water and for my coffee! :)

I won $200 on the Harmony of the Seas in 2016 using the $5 free play with my C&A status. That's about it for me.

However, a couple weeks ago, also on the Harmony some friends of ours got very lucky in the casio winning over $5,000!

Just now, steveknj said:

On this topic.  We are bringing my 20 year old daughter with us on an upcoming cruise and one of our perks is the "free" drink package.  it's my understanding that everyone in the cabin gets this, but my daughter is underage.   Does she get some sort of modified package instead where she'll get soda and bottled water only?  Or is she just ineligible?  I want to know if I would then need to purchase a soda package for her

She will be ineligible since she is under age per the cruiseline. It will only be for those that are 21 and over. I don't believe she gets a "modified package" at all.

Sorry to hear about your short comings last night. Here's to hoping you have more favor later in the week. Loving the photos and the updates.

Good luck today~

Just now, Kwakwa630 said:

If Maya Chan is available, go. It's truly a heavenly, relaxing place where you will feel spoiled!

I've really heard good things. I think my hubby doesn't feel the need to do that since we are only there until 2pm and feels that since it isn't a full day that we are wasting it. We are doing Nachi in Cozumel and he also might think two "beach resort days" are a waste. But thanks so much for the thumbs up.

Just now, SeaOfTranquility said:

I'm sure you will have a great time.  As I previously stated, I have been an NCL loyalist and have been VERY pleased with all other cruises I have taken with them.  Have a GREAT time.  I believe (and hope) that service levels on the Thanksgiving cruise were an aberration.  But if you are docking in Costa Maya, I would suggest you choose your shore excursion carefully.

Thank you for the information. We are considering Maya Chan...but since this is one port we have never been to, we are not sure what we want to do.

Jumping in and following along with you. We are doing our first NCL cruise on the Getaway in March. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and seeing your photos!

So sorry to hear about your hotel mishap. I just booked our hotel on Hotwire this morning and we are at the Hilton Riverside. I hope they have our reservation when we get there!

10 minutes ago, SeaOfTranquility said:

Iperhaps because it was Thanksgiving week and the ship was overcrowded, with lots of families traveling.  The ship's official capacity of 3900-ish only accounts for 2 people per cabin and I was told by staff that we had over 4800 passengers on the cruise due to many cabins in excess of 2 people per room. 

I think you hit the nail on the head. This is one reason why we NEVER cruise on a big holiday!

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy your cruise. I however, am still looking forward to my first time on NCL (Getaway) in March!

On 12/1/2019 at 8:11 AM, cementhands said:

Recently enjoyed the Ncl Gem after years of RCL and celebrity. Last Ncl being the epic 2013 and we’re amazed by the friendly staff and service. Activities staff were amazing. A different theme party each night with an excellent live band called Prism. The activities staff were present and active in each wonderful dance party. Zumba type activities were excellent.
Line dancing and dancing activities plentiful.

The show dancers offered a different dancing class many sea days. MDR food was excellent. Friendly staff. We already booked another cruise on Ncl.

RCL has slipped in our opinion on live music and activities and we were extremely loyal to royal before.

I hope you enjoy the new improved Ncl.
We bring the double lined stainless steel water bottles and refill with a glass of ice water. No contamination.
Not many dress up for dinner. Some people in shorts and same clothes for days. Freestyle.
The shows were excellent.

Glow party is excellent. 

Thank you for your reply! We have also noticed a slip in RCL when it comes to the activities at night and live music. We used to love the live music on pool deck after dark and even with sail away from ports, but that has dropped off or at least from our recent sailings. Maybe it's because of the ships we have been doing with Royal (Oasis and Freedom class most recently). We also tend to take insulated tumblers like Yeti's for our cruises to fill up with ice and water when walking around the ship.

On 12/1/2019 at 8:13 AM, Sauer-kraut said:

No coffee package.

Specials only for port days in the spa.

Make sure you make your specialty restaurant dining reservations as soon as they are available.

I would take the spa pass over vibe but I'm a spa person.  BUT you can wait until you board and take a spa tour before you decide.  You only save $20 pre purchasing so not a big deal. 

 

Did you not take any of the Free at Sea offers when booking your cruise?  That is where the discounts are offered.

The shows will have a stand by line, if you don't have a reservation.  Its easier to get in if you are solo.   If you want a good seat by all means get there early, seats are not assigned.

 

Bummer about the coffee package, but at least they have Starbucks and I believe I can use my app to pay for that. 

I too think that the spa pass is more to our liking than the Vibe pass. When we do spend time on deck it is usually only earlier in the morning and more of a shade or clam shell. We spend time in the Solarium on the Royal ships, but again...usually only earlier in the morning so shouldn't be a trouble finding chairs on deck when we do want to use them...hopefully. 

We did do the Free at Sea offer (only one offered when we booked) and we chose the specialty dining so that we could experience that for this cruise.  Had the drink package included bottled water and specialty coffee, we might have chose that option but just didn't see the value for us at the time of booking. BTW, I have made my specialty dining reservations already so we should be good! 😉 

We don't mind paying per drink for our adult beverages as we are not HUGE drinkers and it appears that the per drink prices are along the same line as those on our past cruises.

Thank you to the others who posted/commented as well. This is one of the reasons I love CC because it is such a great and helpful community for those of us that are stepping out of our normal cruise vacation box, so to speak.

I look forward to trying something new!~