Just set sail from NJ and......

[mw_1970]

Cannot believe people are knowingly queueing 2 hours + to go on North Star on such a beautiful hot day. What for ? It looks crap. There are signs telling people the waiting time and yet they queue (and moan).

[wovenwonder]

Had a great night last night

 

We ate at Devinly Decadence and we absolutely loved it.

 

We both had superb Chicken Satay to start followed by beef tenderloin and a BBQ Chicken Flatbread pizza. We shared both dishes and they were delicious. Service and food were superb. We have cancelled American Icon tomorrow and rebooked DD. We have decided to only eat at Specialities bow just as we do on NCL.

 

Saw a superb Bon Jovi tribute in Music Hall last night. Almost a 90 minute continuous set and they were brilliant. Music Hall is perfect for this sort of thing. Then we bit the bullet and played in the Casino which was packed but didn't seem so smoky.

 

Ok, so this ship is100% not RCL and anyone expecting it to be will be surprised. NCL should buy this ship and show them how to do Freestyle properly as this staff do not want to do Freestyle. They want traditional dining. There is not enough staff or management on board to make this concept work for RCL.

 

Nevertheless, we are loving it and one major plus this ship has over NCL is the pool decks. They are superb and spacious unlike NCL who give up 1/3rd of their top deck to suite guests only.

 

Today the sun is shining and we have just had breakfast at Cafe Two70 which is a superb venue.

 

Where/What is Devinly Decadence? I don't seem to have it on my list.

[mw_1970]

Where/What is Devinly Decadence? I don't seem to have it on my list.

 

It's on the planner under restaurants.

 

Healthy eating restaurant next to the solarium. All entrees under 500 Kcals

 

Lovely food

[wovenwonder]

It's on the planner under restaurants.

 

Healthy eating restaurant next to the solarium. All entrees under 500 Kcals

 

Lovely food

 

I have reservation at the Solarium Bistro. Same thing?

[mw_1970]

I have reservation at the Solarium Bistro. Same thing?

 

Yes it is

[roe2ship]

We had dinner at 5:30. Mamma Mia started promptly at 8:30 with doors open at 7:45. Get there early and sit on the lower level. Starwater is listed at 10:00 pm.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Wow, very surprised there was chaos already at the time. Thanks!

 

I was on the New Year's cruise and had a slight problem with the internet reception being "spotty". Also, luckily I had 60 minutes free because I was Diamond Plus. How did you receive unlimited free internet?

 

We also had a problem with dynamic dining . .. . we had reservations for 7:15. People would just show up and be seated. So, we showed up at 7:10 and people who were in line before us with reservations for 9 got seated before us. I was livid. So we were not seated until almost 8. They were not using the two line system for those with and those without reservations. At least the night we were at silk. And once we were seated it took about 20 minutes for anyone to acknowledge us. ugh.

I don't blame you one bit for being angry. That is outright ridiculous. Royal is creating their own problems.:rolleyes:

[mw_1970]

Oh by the way, the loud crashes and banging heard on night 1 must have been as a result of the rough seas. Slept really well last night. Very peaceful.

[karmacats]

Im onboard too (so please pardon typos - im on my horrible phone ).

 

Internet is fast and works well. Our room is in a dead zone, however, so i can only use it in public spaces. Had i paid for it, i'd be annoyed. But since it was free, i cant complain. :D

 

Freestyle coke machines are not working this cruise. Dont know why. They easily refunded dh's soda package, though.

 

Re noise, our bathroom door creaks and is really annoying. We know it's the door,but there is not really a way to wedge it shut. Also, our fridge is super loud, which doesnt bother me because we are in a grand suite so itsin the living room and not the bedroom, but if near the bed it would drive me nuts.

 

Other than lack of coke machines and a very meh dinner at american icon, we are having the time of our lives. Jamies italian, coastal kitchen, and chic were all outstanding. Loved bumper cars, mamma mia was fun, bon jovi tribute band was fantastic (and very nice guys) , and had a lot of fun doing the m&m, gift exchange, and cabin crawl. Also very much enjoying the ambient music everywhere - lots of 80s (the police, ac dc ), 90s (faith no more ), and modern (imagine dragons ). Not everyone's cup of tea, but my group (aged mid 20s to,late 40s ) love it.

 

All my worrying was for nothing, and we are stoked for the rest of the cruise and for anthem next dec.

[mw_1970]

I am also loving ALL the music on board particularly the 80s stuff such as Human League, Simple Minds etc.

 

The DJ in Two70 is really good by the way just in case you haven't heard him in there yet.

 

For what it is worth, I love everything I have seen so far other than:

 

Stupid North Star. Why ? What do we need this for ?

 

Stupid Robotic Bar. Again why ? Its old tech not exactly state of the art stuff. Factories have been using this tech since the late 70s.

 

Stupid Robotic screens that play daft videos on the half hour in Two 70. What's all that about ?

 

Other than that everything else about this ship is beautiful in terms of design and decor. We really can't wait for Jamies tonight.

[tarajean1962]

I absolutely love your review and your positive attitude!😄

We board on Sunday when you get back and I am beyond excited!:D

Thanks for taking the time out of your vacation to keep us informed.

 

YOU ROCK!

 

Tara

[Jimmers]

I am also loving ALL the music on board particularly the 80s stuff such as Human League, Simple Minds etc.

 

The DJ in Two70 is really good by the way just in case you haven't heard him in there yet.

 

For what it is worth, I love everything I have seen so far other than:

 

Stupid North Star. Why ? What do we need this for ?

 

Stupid Robotic Bar. Again why ? Its old tech not exactly state of the art stuff. Factories have been using this tech since the late 70s.

 

Stupid Robotic screens that play daft videos on the half hour in Two 70. What's all that about ?

 

Other than that everything else about this ship is beautiful in terms of design and decor. We really can't wait for Jamies tonight.

 

 

Quit moaning and embrace RCI's new focus on the Millenials ;)

 

How do you like the Justin Beeberish music vids on the pool Jumbotron?:eek:

[mw_1970]

We only sit in the solarium and use the upper pool deck for running and walking when we can get by the crowd that is lining up for 2 hours for a five minute "ride" on the ridiculous North Star.

[mw_1970]

Ok.

 

8pm reservation for Jamies. Now 8:25 and i am in a holding area outside with maybe 30 or more others all with reservations waiting to be seated.

 

Restaurant full of passengers that have eaten but that are sitting at tables drinking.

 

How do you tell paying customers to leave and make room for waiting customers ?

 

This ship needs NCL management.

 

We wont allow this to ruin our holiday but i wont wait past 8:45 before asking for a refund.

[mw_1970]

Lol.

 

Seated within 60 seconds of this post.

[steveru621]

Ok.

 

8pm reservation for Jamies. Now 8:25 and i am in a holding area outside with maybe 30 or more others all with reservations waiting to be seated.

 

Restaurant full of passengers that have eaten but that are sitting at tables drinking.

 

How do you tell paying customers to leave and make room for waiting customers ?

 

This ship needs NCL management.

 

We wont allow this to ruin our holiday but i wont wait past 8:45 before asking for a refund.

 

I would say review your first post and quit your moaning people.

[roe2ship]

I would say review your first post and quit your moaning people.

You know...after reading several comments from the OP after their initial post, I so agree with you.

[mw_1970]

I think you're just jealous I'm here and you're not :-)

[mw_1970]

I would say review your first post and quit your moaning people.

 

Not moaning at all. Just blogging and updating.

 

I would have waited until midnight for that starter I just had.

 

Amazing food.

[EBONI325]

I would first like to thank everyone who's on board now for your insights

 

.My daughter and I are planning on March for my birthday, and I have enjoyed all the input.

 

Does anyone know if the smoke from the Casino drift to the cabins on deck 3.

My daughter get's seasick at times so we'd like to be on the lower deck.

 

Cigarette smoke is a problem for me.

 

Thank You

[mw_1970]

I would first like to thank everyone who's on board now for your insights

 

.My daughter and I are planning on March for my birthday, and I have enjoyed all the input.

 

Does anyone know if the smoke from the Casino drift to the cabins on deck 3.

My daughter get's seasick at times so we'd like to be on the lower deck.

 

Cigarette smoke is a problem for me.

 

Thank You

 

 

I doubt smoke will drift. Once you get into the bon smoking section of casino you can't smell it. Bear in mind there are doors and long corridors between casino and cabins I would say almost definitely no smoke smell.

[steveru621]

Not moaning at all. Just blogging and updating.

 

I would have waited until midnight for that starter I just had.

 

Amazing food.

 

You nailed it. Everyone else was moaning, you were just stating fact?

 

I fail to see the difference.:confused:

 

Please enjoy your cruise. Just don't think your complaining about waiting 45 minutes would not be interpreted as 'moaning' as you call it. We all can have our own interpretations of the facts.

[Dave85]

 

The DJ in Two70 is really good by the way just in case you haven't heard him in there yet.

 

 

 

Are they using 270 as a dance club at all, or is the DJ just kind of playing in the background? I ask because since I first saw 270 it struck me as an incredible space for dancing to a DJ, especially since they can apparently level out those floors (which I saw on one of Derek's great videos).

 

Enjoy Jamie's tonight, I will definitely hit that restaurant on Anthem.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Cruise Critic Forums mobile app

[mw_1970]

You nailed it. Everyone else was moaning, you were just stating fact?

 

I fail to see the difference.:confused:

 

Please enjoy your cruise. Just don't think your complaining about waiting 45 minutes would not be interpreted as 'moaning' as you call it. We all can have our own interpretations of the facts.

 

I didn't complain about waiting. At no time did I state "this is disgusting. This is a disgrace. This is Uugh" (whatever that means) like some loons on here.

 

I was just letting people know the wait and that I would give it up to 45 mins. I only had to wait 30 mins. So sorry to be the bearer of really not that bad news to the miseries :-)

[mw_1970]

Are they using 270 as a dance club at all, or is the DJ just kind of playing in the background? I ask because since I first saw 270 it struck me as an incredible space for dancing to a DJ, especially since they can apparently level out those floors (which I saw on one of Derek's great videos).

 

Enjoy Jamie's tonight, I will definitely hit that restaurant on Anthem.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Cruise Critic Forums mobile app

 

Two70 is a nightclub from around 10:30 onwards.

[EBONI325]

Thank you so much mw_1970. Problem solved