DCGuy64

Not to pick a nit, but on CC, it's known as a Meet & Mingle. Meet & Greet is the term most people seem to use, but Meet & Mingle is how it's phrased on here. You can see a heading for it at the top of the page.

You can host a Meet and Mingle by contacting the Breakaway directly. That's what I did last November. Also, if you haven't done so already, consider signing up for the ship's Roll Call for your sailing. Have a great time!

Just curious here: was that cruise cancelled altogether, or are they redeploying the ship and continuing to sail elsewhere during the same time period? Since you say it's supposed to be in December, that would seem to give you ample time to find another, I would think. I'm also a bit surprised that they would cancel a cruise that far in advance, I'm not sure why they assume things in the Middle East will still be unsafe that far in the future. When the war in Israel started back in October, cruise lines just changed their itineraries and continued to sail as normal.

I agree. Sending an email only allows the company to send generic replies. If I were the OP, I would ABSOLUTELY make a phone call. Also, this is where I plug the use of a professional TA so he/she could be doing the legwork. Beyond that, I empathize with the OP about his daughter's cancer diagnosis, and I pray she is doing well. A friend of mine just wrote on FB yesterday that her daughter had died from injuries sustained after being struck by a car. As another poster mentioned, our health and that of our family members far outweighs money spent on CNs, etc.

We booked our NCL cruise to Norway and Iceland last year, and the cruise is in 2025.

Exactly. That poster acts as though it's only NCL; it isn't. Other lines make modifications and changes all the time. Nothing new about this. I've had changes on Carnival and MSC, and I just dealt with it.

That, or don't get your hopes up. I can't tell you how many times a disgruntled passenger has come onto Cruise Critic to complain about how things went sour on his last cruise and threatens to sue the cruise line, often with vague threats of a class action lawsuit. Never happens. If it did, the people doing it wouldn't hesitate to post about it. If it makes you feel better to bombard them with emails, then do it. But again, don't get your hopes up.

Here we go. 🍿

"I've been told by NCL." Can you define the telling? Was it a letter, an email, a phone call, etc.? I'm curious how it was worded. 2 hours seems excessive.

All of which will likely yield a standard reply like "thank you very much for your email, it is very important to us." And that's the last you'll hear of it. It's about as useless as emailing a member of Congress.

I see what you did there. 😉

You are so right about that!

$600 in gratuities PER PERSON? That doesn't sound right. For a 14-night cruise, that amounts to over $40 per day. I think the going rate is $21.

I suspect that person was, shall we say, and in the words of my late grandmother, 'telling a tall tale.'

Sure you can. 😉 Video or it didn't happen.

One of the reasons I enjoy NCL's unlimited beverage package is that I don't feel guilty ordering something with the knowledge that, if it isn't to my liking, I can get another drink and not pay an additional fee. One could make the argument that throwing out a drink after one sip is wasteful and that I'm costing NCL money by doing so. I don't see what the OP is proposing to be any different. I take OP's word that his friend won't drink enough to justify paying for the entire package. I think it's ridiculous to expect someone to pay the full price for the package when he's only going to drink a mocktail and maybe a glass of wine each day. Of course, that person could just pay a la carte and be done with it.

Hmm. Interesting take.

Exactly. This question (which you have phrased correctly) is no different than many I've seen on CC about what the "official rules are" vs the actual onboard experience. Oftentimes I see people asking about how many appetizers and sides they can get at the specialty restaurants-the rules might say one each, but in practice, it's not limited to that. This is really no different. OP knows the rules; he just wants to know whether they're actually applied in practice.

And counting... And something tells me OP doesn't really plan to change what he does based on the responses. Neither would I. No one's opinions (mind included) are official NCL policy, nor do they have the force of law. All just conjecture. But entertaining, nonetheless!

Exactly. My wife and I always both have the drinks package, although, to be fair, she drinks VERY little. (Like maybe 2 drinks per day). Nonetheless, when I go up to order us drinks, I usually bring both her card and mine. The bartender, 99.9% of the time, just takes my card and rings them both up. I do not typically order more than 1 drink at a time (for each of us, that is). I have never shared a drink with someone who wasn't on the package. I know the rules. But given how two people can have the package and barely make a dent in it, I am not too bothered by OP's scenario. Like many things other people choose to do on cruises, it's none of my business.

I agree with @havoc315. It's not stealing. It may be a breach of contract, but is not stealing. The moment I buy a drink from a bartender, it's MY PROPERTY and what I do with MY PROPERTY is my business and no one else's. I can't be accused of stealing what's already mine. End of story. Not up for debate. It might be wrong, but it's not stealing. I will not respond to anyone who disagrees. The lawyer has it right, so whatever bad feelings people might have about sharing, it isn't theft. Period.

Hi, there. When we were on the Breakaway last November, I *did* see "Cellular at Sea" pop up in my iPhone settings, so the answer to your question is "yes." We were in the Med, as well. I agree with @SoloAlaska. I purchased an eSim prior to sailing, from a Spanish company called Holafly, and it was super easy. I could toggle it on and off at will. Worked great, always connected right away. This was on land, however. I used T-Mobile's roaming on land, too, since the eSim was only for internet browsing, not phone calls or texts. WhatsApp is fantastic, everybody in Europe seems to use it.

It's worse! In Spain you order una caña and they give you a tapa. You only paid for the beer and you stole the food. 🤣

I would think at that early hour, something smaller would be in order. I would not be in the mood for that type of food at 4:30 AM. My stomach would not like me.

First off, I'm a little jealous: 3 weeks on the Epic. Wow, that's awesome. Now on to the food. I am so sorry you had a disappointing experience. We sailed on the Epic in Dec 2022 and the food was exceptional. I was particularly delighted with Moderno, Le Bistro and Teppanyaki. La Cucina and Cagney's were good, too. We also ate at the included Asian place twice and loved it! I thought the portions were fine. I wonder sometimes if the amount of food waste causes the cruise lines to cut back on the portions. But again, so sorry the food wasn't up to scratch. Like you said, food taste is subjective. Perhaps after nearly 60 cruises, your standards have evolved? (Nothing wrong with that, BTW-mine have, too.) I REALLY loved the burgers and the fish 'n chips at O'Sheehan's. The wings were decent. Not the best in the world, but certain edible. Good luck on your next trip, wherever it may be!