jlat

I've been wanting to give NCL another shot, but this forum is filled with misery. Mostly complaints about beverage packages. Is there not anything fun or impressive about NCL for cruisers to share? On CCL and RCCL forums there are daily live reviews filled with pictures and day-by-day summaries. Why does that not exist on the NCL forums? Is it because NCL internet is the equivalent of AOL dial-up from the '90s? Or is it because there's simply nothing impressive to write home about?

I don't do live reviews or postings because I try to unplug on vacation and never bring a computer or tablet (except a kindle, which a lot of times never gets used). NCL is fine, we just got off the POA and had a great time. We have booked the Greek Isle cruise for next year. Also don't feel the need to post minute by minute reviews of what I am doing, when I am doing it. Just me I guess.

Maybe it is going the Pride of America route - don’t worry about service so much if most cruises are port intensive.

I have a couple that I am not going to be able to use. If anyone is interested let me know. I will make you a good deal. They expire in December of this year though.

And had NCL continued as planned we would see a massive rant here about DEMANDING a full refund, that NCL "doing the right thing" and give everyone a free cruise, and potential filing of a civil suit. Yet they err on the side of caution and people still complain. I guess it is true, some folks are never happy unless they can find a reason to complain about something.

This is so true. Some body get a wiff of a volcano fart and it would be on. Lawsuits, media, permanent damage, the horror. NCL should have known that volcano's fart dangerous gasses and we should be compensated. Yep NCL seen that coming and moon walked right out of it. :cool:

PA Kathy,

Yes, NCL posted a notice about the change in itinerary. I am certain that they will see to it that you have a good time. Be sure not to miss the programs that are about Hawaiian culture including lei making!

That being said the Big Island is big! Most of the island is not affected by the lava. The closure of HVNP is disappointing but necessary for safety. There is so much more to see and do than just the volcano! We visited a coffee plantation, the macadamia nut factory, an orchid farm, Rainbow Falls on the same day as visiting HVNP. The second day we visited the Captain Cook Monument, the farmers market, Pu’honua O Honaunau National Historical Park (aka the place of refuge), a bee farm and more.

All of these places plus many more are hurting because of the ship not visiting. Many small local businesses depend on those visits for their livelihood.

Could you share that post? We are on the POA June 14th and have heard nothing from NCL. I just logged into the website and do not see anything posted there either. Seems like they could do a better job of keeping customers informed.

If I based my decisions on what I heard about a cruise line, NCL would be one of my last choices. I hope you enjoy it though.

Interesting, after coming of the Caribbean Princess a couple of weeks ago, I can't wait to book my next cruise on NCL. We won't be back on Princess......e.v.e.r.

I typically scout out a particular bar to be my "home" bar during the cruise. I had the beverage package this past cruise and didn't tip extra, until the last day and give my regular bartender a nice tip for taking care of us all cruise long. We also tipped extra to our cabin steward and I tipped the room service folks as well. This certainly isn't necessary, but these folks do work hard for the money and if they provide exceptional service, I really don't mind to tip extra. The one thing that impressed me on this cruise (our first on Princess) is that no one as angling for a tip. On many of our cruises, the bartenders and room stewards are really working you for that tip. We ran into this when NCL rolled out their drink package promos that didn't include the tip (which confused a lot of people). The bartenders got down right surly if they weren't tipped.

Just got off the CB today. I thought the ship was in good shape although our balcony had a fair amount of rust in places and there was a large hole (like an unfinished repair) in the facing of our balcony door. Our deck chairs were replaced mid week (there was a big dumpster full of the old ones on the dock) and our deck rail was re varnished as well . We ate at Planks (too much food, and not all that great) and Steamers (really good). I'm from the south, so we have many BBQ options, and I didn't find Planks to be anything special. They definitely need to do something to get more people to come in though. The night we ate there, there might have been 2 other tables taken. Salty dog was great and a good way to get a good bite after a long excursion day. We didn't eat from the pizza bar, as I am not a big pizza fan. To me the buffet is always a last resort, so I never get overly excited one way or another about them. I thought the ship in general was great and the crew was outstanding. This was our first time on Princess and I think we will be coming back again.

Princess loves cruisers like you. :D

 

 

What ever dude, if something like this twists your drawers, you probably don't enjoy much on cruise anyway.

Just a personal observation, but all of this consternation over a couple of punches on a coffee card?

 

Bob

I know right? I'm too busy having fun and relaxing to worry about how many punches are on my card and I certainly wouldn't waste a supervisor's or crew's time over it. I just wouldn't get the gelato, or just pay for it out right.:rolleyes:

We were on the Emerald last week in Alaska. We were traveling with our four young grandchildren.

 

Being in two cabins we each traded in our elite bar set up for coffee cards (4 total). This allowed each grandchild to use a card for free hot chocolate and the occasional Gelato. I know it's not a bargin to use a coffee punch for a $1.50 Gelato, but this week I really didn't care because three kids got to enjoy a scoop of gelato, and I have so many coffee cards.

 

It wasnt until the last afternoon that the server said it would be three punches on the card or $1.50 charge. When I said this had not happened any other time this week, she said this was their policy. I wanted clarification, so she got the manager, he agreed that their policy was one punch for one scoop and that other servers had been wrong to only punch the coffe card once for three scoops. Asking if I could see the policy, he threw up his hands and told the server to just punch the card once. At least the grandkids were happy and enjoyed their last gelato.

Just curious why you think a policy has to be written down, to be legitimate? Wouldn't have been less heart burn just to either pay the $1.50 or let them punch out the card since it was the last day? Not trying to be terse at all, just trying to understand the thought process/

Hello,

The wife and I will be docking in Belfast, this summer, on the Caribbean Princess. We are there from 8:00a - 9:00p. I've secured booking for the Titanic Experience for the morning and plan on taking a taxi there from the dock. After some time there I was looking to book tour to Giants Causeway, the bridge, some Belfast sites etc. The rub is that I want to get picked up at the Titanic Experience, do the tour and then taken back at the end to the ship. I'm not having a lot of luck coming up with a private tour/guide that will accommodate. Anyone have any ideas on how I can make this work?

I'm trying to book the Titanic Experience for June 22, 2017. The website shows nothing available for any time at all in June or July (didn't go further). Have they all be sold out or have they not been made available yet? I see other tour groups selling tours for the experience, but we are more just do it on our own and leave when we want. Any ideas?

We have exclusively sailed with our kids and have either been seated with other families or a 4 top on our own. We never had a bad experience. One of our cruises we were sat with an Indian family. They weren't really getting into the food being served. I got hold of the head waiter and talked to him (the family didn't want to make a fuss), after that they brought out traditional Indian dishes and served family style. Apparently the cooks were Indian and had this food made up for themselves. We had a great time and we all eat (some) of what they brought out. This summer the wife and are are solo and have picked 2nd seating TD. I am looking forward to meeting new people, but I have a low threshold for BS. I have no problem checking in with the Maitre'd and getting moved.

Because of the time-scale you'll need a private tour-transfer whichever way you do it (though for post-cruise you could try your RollCall for any sharers with similar plans).

 

You should be able to disembark around 7am unassisted, or blag your way onto the first assisted time-slot about 7.30.

Stonehenge is about an hour, probably a little longer that time of day. Pre-purchased tickets for 9am to 9.30 should do the job - you'll probably be allowed in earlier if you arrive before 9am, subject to demand..

Aim to leave Stonehenge by 10.30, that should get you to Heathrow before noon. 2 hours before your flight is fine, & you'll have about 45 minutes leeway before you need to get out the worry-beads.

 

Or from Heathrow, a landing time of 9am means you're likely to be in the arrivals hall about 10.30.

Something under an hour to Stonehenge, leave Stonehenge by 1.30 for a 3pm registration. So in theory you have an hour to spare, perhaps leave Stonehenge about 12.30 / 1pm, stop off at Salisbury cathedral, & leave there by 2pm.

The only difficulty going from Heathrow is the business of timed Stonehenge tickets, because of the potential for flight or airport delays. I guess book Stonehenge for 11.30 to noon, or more reliably noon to 12.30. Again, if you arrive outside the booked 30-minute window you'll just have to try using your charm.

 

You also have the options of ............

 

Winchester & its cathedral. Close to Southampton & close to the direct Southampton/Heathrow route which will save you over half an hour on the road. If going from Southampton bear in mind the cathedral isn't open to visitors until 9.30 mon thru sat, and not til 12.30 on sundays. You'd need to leave Winchester by about 10.30 - 10.45 for Heathrow. Better for pre-cruise because it's only half an hour from your ship so less risk of a delay.

 

Windsor & its castle. Under half an hour from Heathrow, about 80 minutes from Southampton. Altho more prone to traffic delays from Southampton because of the time of day, possibly better for post-cruise because it's so close to the airport, I guess you'd have 60 to 90 minutes there. Pre-cruise you'd likely have more time at Windsor, but it's about 75 minutes from the ship so you'd need more wiggle time for delays.

 

Day of the week comes into it a lot.

Monday (and especially Monday) thru Friday there's always the potential for delays Heathrow-bound as you'll be mixing it with commuters.

Summer Saturdays Southampton-bound you'll be mixing it with Londoners heading for the coast, which can also mean delays.

Tell me that one of your days is a sunday & we'll all be happy ;)

 

Get quotes - and opinions - from www.smithsforairports.com and www.westquaycars.com and www.aquacars.co.uk

 

JB :)

John, thanks so much for this info. I will continue to research. This is a great starting point. - Cheers!

Question for the seasoned vets. We are cruising into Southampton on Princess this June. Our flight out of Heathrow is at 2:00p. Since we can get off the ship sometime around 7:30 or maybe earlier, would we have time to do a tour (Stonehenge for example) and make the flight? Conversely, we arrive in London at 9:00am and would have to be onboard until around 3:00p would that be a better option. IIR Heathrow is pretty difficult to navigate, but it has been years since I have had to travel there. Any advice would be awesome.

Cheers

it seems that the recent 30 day dry dock transformation did not affect/change the foggy windows in the Family suites on deck 12.

 

So for all future deck 12 suite seekers who thought this would no longer be a factor in cabin selections would those who have stayed in one of the "foggy window suites"please give the cabin number and rate how widespread the damage...i.e. 1 pane, some panes, or all 4 sections.

 

thanks, a disappointed booked cruiser.

We were in 12512 last year. The windows had some fog, but nothing that would ruin a vacation. We still were able to see out just fine. We had a lovely view of the dock yard and watched the Oracle yacht sail by several times.

You are wrong. The colors of the packets correspond to the type of sweetener used elsewhere. yellow is sucralose (Splenda), blue is aspartame (Nutrasweet) and pink is saccharin (Sweet and Low).

Not so, read the back of the packages. On NCL, they are all the same, unless they are branded "Equal", "Splenda" or "Sweent-n-Low", they are all (aspartame) regardless of the color of the package.

I'm not so self-centered as to think that because a company makes a decision that doesn't appeal to me (like the recent rule regarding liquids), that means they don't care about me. For example, I think the Haven is a stupid, ridiculous waste of space and should be eliminated, but that doesn't mean that NCL doesn't care about me! It's not all about me. I don't think smoking should be allowed on any ships, but that doesn't mean NCL doesn't care about me. They have to care about their business, and they have to care about all passengers. Therefore, every single decision they make will piss off some people, since despite group think that occurs on this forum, not everyone is identical.

Nicely said. I feel exactly the same way (including the Haven). I posted some similar sentiments on the "long" thread and got thrashed pretty well. LOL I'm all for the ban, I stood in line at Black Falcon trying to get on the Dawn while this clown pushed along his case of Dew with his foot. I was about to commit mayhem on his butt. The things people get worked up about on these boards is pretty hilarious.

Do you actually believe what you post or is it just an amusing diversion ?

So just to feed the troll , what if a single movie theater charged significantly more for snacks then all the others ? Oh and you weren't allowed to keep your empty bottle . Plus there was a fee for disposing of this bottle which was instituted after you had bought your ticket that you were not told about . Plus you were told it was for your convenience .

 

Ya Ya - You'd say " no issue at all here " .

Dude that seriously wasn't called for. No need to be that sour. This isn't the end of the world. OP is entitled to post their opinion, as are you (many times now). No need to get personal.

Great review, very objective. Our last cruise was on the Dawn. It is a great ship with some quirks. We had toilet problems as well, but they were mostly in the public spaces and started on the 2nd day. Many of the public space toilets were either overflowing or shut down entirely. It seems that this was not resolved during the dry dock. Again great review, thanks for sharing.

Good job ! I hope you also sent a letter of congratulations when they announced their no-take-out from the buffet policy . I also expect you send them love notes them each time they increase the gratuities . Well done .

Hardly ever send them love notes, but I did support the no-take out ban as well. In this case, I think the ban is warranted and long over due. Last cruise on the Dawn, was caught in line behind some idiot who pushed is case of Mt. Dews through the que with his foot. Thirty-five minutes in that god awful Black Falcon queue with his case scraping the floor the whole time. Yeah ban that crap!

:eek::eek:

Good grief - the measures people will take! Unbelievable!

 

Personally I am for NCL - they are a business not a charity - at the end of the day the profit made from the drinks revenue keeps cruising affordable.

I will - on cruiselines which allow it - ie Celebrity - board with two bottles of a decent champagne such as Bollinger bought from duty free at the airport - to drink in our cabin - but have never ever ever stooped to a low of bringing on waters, sodas and "smuggled" alcohol. I always have a drinks package on every cruiseline I cruise with - whether its a perk or purchased, always an essential.

I run a business which includes an outdoor dining facility in a beautiful setting, it wont be the first time and wont be the last that I chase folks away for bringing their own picnic! OR - one of them buys a drink - five of them sit down and out comes the water and sodas from their backpacks.. NOPE - not happening - I want that table for the five paying guests - I suspect NCL feel the same way.

I also suspect that with this, you will soon see specials run on the dailies on packs of water.

NCL prices are amazing - even for us in the UK who often pay higher prices although our perks include grats.

I have done 2 x NCL and 2 x Celebrity - all with flights, over the last eighteen months - NCL pricing is WOW! Value for money incredible!

 

Of course on Celebrity, water is included in the package - but hey - can assure you my Celebrity cruises cost a LOT more than those with NCL.

 

I just cannot fathom why on earth they would have allowed free carryon of waters and sodas in the first place - (unless perhaps there is a genuine medical reason which I understand, they are still allowing for.).

Good for you NCL - thanks for giving us choices - Affordable cruising with plenty free options - and other options available to add on for those of us who wish to do so.

 

I will add (for those who are jumping ship) that - although I love Celebrity, I missed NCL's live music bars - and missed the fantastic SPAs - (Epic's SPA V Celebrity Persian Gardens - EPIC wins leagues and leagues above!).

 

There are pluses and minuses in everything - you just have to weigh up your options and choose what is right for you.

 

You might jump ship - but the water is not always blue'er (or cheaper!) - there is always a price to pay!

Outstanding post!! I just today sent an email off to Mr. Stewart, voicing my support for the new policy. I think the angst over all this is much ado over nothing. There are many alternative hydration methods, as well as cruise lines that have more palatable beverage policies. If this was ever a deal breaker for me (which it never would be), I would seek alternatives not rant on for days and days.

That's nice and all but I'm not sitting here just stomping my feet. My chest remains unpuffed, my posts unblustered. I voted with my dollars months and months before this. I encourage others to do the same.

Well....I don't think that you specifically were puffed or blustered, maybe a tiny foot stomp though...but many on this thread were doing exactly that. Hence my finding the hilarity of it all.

And I applaud your decision on moving away from NCL. I believe it will be the best for all parties involved. I hope that you find what you are looking for out there.

Namaste

Let's get one thing straight. I'm not taking this hard at all. I don't drink soda, and I don't carry on water. I recognize this as being another in a long line of NCL take-aways. It's been going on for years. My purpose in this thread is to simply point that out. But I've done that. But who the hell reads a 800 post thread? Most folks just skip to the end and comment on whatever is there. Like you've done.

 

You have no desire to schlep (sherp, ***?) soda on a ship. Good for you. Neither do I. Who cares? If you use that brain of yours you'll see that this issue is beyond diabetics and their soda and a couple of folks with swollen ankles.

Okay, I get that you're upset. I see that now and I am really sorry that this situation has caused you so much heartburn. Just so you don't make a THIRD bad assumption about me, I read a whole lot more than just the last pages, in fact, I happened to be on yesterday when the news broke here on CC and followed it off and on through out the afternoon. I feel badly for the extremely very small minority that have true medical issues with regards to bringing on their own sodas and bottled water and I am sure that NCL or any mass market cruise line would do what ever is necessary to accommodate any true special needs.

You are unsatisfied with the policy makers at NCL and again, that's understandable. Change is difficult for many. Whenever the cheese gets moved, people have problems adjusting and I can see where you are now. But here's what we all know..change is inevitable. I know that it is a scary thought, but a true one. To me though, I see change as an opportunity. Instead of getting all bent out of alignment over a change, I tend to look at how it might make things better. It doesn't always happen, and if it doesn't I look for alternatives. In this case, since it doesn't personally effect me, I have no real issue with it. If it did, I would have to weigh in the value of having those sodas and waters in my room, versus do something else. Maybe I don't cruise NCL (or any line that has the same policies), or maybe I look for alternative hydration methods as I mentioned in previous posts. The one thing I wouldn't do is stomp my virtual feet and puff out my chest and make blusterous posts on social media or even directly to the company. That's where I find humor in this entire thread. The whole disgruntlement over a non-issue, is simply hilarious as was the whole taking food back to the cabin or charging for room service a while back. As I said before, ya don't have to go. If it is a make or break situation, do what works best for you. Weigh the pros and cons and decide. Its pretty simple in that respect I'ma right?