Thanksgiving on board NCL

[cruiseny4life]

23 hours ago, WickedRed said:

I was on the Prima for Thanskgiving last year.  At the time the Prima had one menu for the whole cruise in the MDRs.  Think I heard they have since changed that, but I could be wrong.  They did however have a special turkey and sides option on the menu for Thanksgiving.  Not a fan of turkey, so I didn't choose that meal.  Honestly, I don't remember seeing any special decorations.  That said, I'm not sure I visited the buffet that day.  Pretty sure it was a port day as well.  The decorations couldn't have been inspiring if I don't remember seeing them, right.  So far Halloween is my favorite holiday to be on a cruise.  Those decorations I can remember.

 

Indulge Food Hall is amazing.  My biggest complaint is that it was always wicked crowded.  Finding a seat sometimes was impossible.  I enjoyed the Prima for the most part.  Is it my favorite ship, no.  Most of my complaints were due to over crowding.  It was a big wake up from what I had grown accustom to while covid rules were in effect.  I miss half empty ships...  The Donna Summers who was AMAZING!!  Make your reservations early for everything you'd like to do.  Have a great time!!

Ooooooo, thank you!! This is so helpful, especially since you cruised on Thanksgiving! I haven't seen an official press release or anything, but several posters have mentioned Pr1ma now has the rotating set of menus. I'm hopeful they'll still have a special menu for Thanksgiving, but like you, I won't be choosing the turkey. Now, if they have a fully dressed (or is it stuffed) turkey, I'll most certainly be taking photos! Just like I would if I see an outstretched roasting pig. Pretty sure I won't see that. 

 

Thanksgiving, this year, is a sea day, so I'll have a chance to wander through the buffet (I'm so not a NCL buffet kind) to see the decorations, if any. I'll also take a gander at the menus. One has to assume the specialty restaurants won't have a special menu, but I could be wrong. I think we're not going to book specialty dining for Thanksgiving. Others probably are already doing that and since we're late to the dining booking party, probably not a reservations available for Thanksgiving.

 

I don't suppose there was a dia de los muertos parade the day after Halloween? Now that would be epic! 

 

I've seen some videos of Indulge. It does look tasty and oh so crowded! Thankfully we're early diners for dinner, so we can get there right as the place opens for dinner. Give me that Q brisket platter with some mac and cheese! Mmmmmmm. 

 

As an aside, when we traveled Getaway back in September 2022, our ship was at 35% capacity. Gosh! That was friggin amazing! I get the cruise lines can't exist sailing at those capacities, so another reason to be grateful for COVID (gotta find those silver linings). 

 

Thanks for the well wishes!! 

[WickedRed]

12 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

I don't suppose there was a dia de los muertos parade the day after Halloween? Now that would be epic! 

 

 

 

There was not on my sailing.  There was trick or treating for the kids.  A costume party for adults.  They turned a venue into a haunted house that was a lot of fun.  Plus all the pumkin/watermellon/other things that were elaborately carved along with other decorated stations around the ship.  It was just very carefree and fun.

 

I was on the Breakaway with 1400 passengers.  The staff kept joking how they out numbered the guests.  The biggest downfall is they often couldn't find enough volunteers to do some of the games.  Then the Star with 1300 passengers.  After that was the Prima booked at over double capacity.  Even at that I was almost always able to find a chair near one of the side infinity pools to curl up on to read a book, laugh at people who stopped mid way in one of the dry slides, and just enjoy some peaceful moments. 

[smillerholmes]

16 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

Oh my, yes!!! Are you on a Western Caribbean cruise or will Breakaway not quite be home porting in New Orleans yet? I know you don't do write ups like some of us, but I'd certainly love to read your observations! 

 

I'll attempt to be insightful, but you know I get a wee bit distracted! 

Ha! I will see what I can do.  Twenty days on the Sun was a wee bit ambitious for my first semi-live.  I am doing a B2B the first 10 days is the Med and the last 16 days is Rome to NY.  That's a looong time so I'll probably just report major stuff like power outages and medical airlifts 😆

[cruiseny4life]

1 hour ago, smillerholmes said:

Ha! I will see what I can do.  Twenty days on the Sun was a wee bit ambitious for my first semi-live.  I am doing a B2B the first 10 days is the Med and the last 16 days is Rome to NY.  That's a looong time so I'll probably just report major stuff like power outages and medical airlifts 😆

Oh, how I hope your next cruise isn't quite so eventful! Maybe just a slow meander through the sea and then the ocean...using propulsion, of course! Regardless, at least we know you'll have a good mood about you. 

 

1 hour ago, WickedRed said:

 

There was not on my sailing.  There was trick or treating for the kids.  A costume party for adults.  They turned a venue into a haunted house that was a lot of fun.  Plus all the pumkin/watermellon/other things that were elaborately carved along with other decorated stations around the ship.  It was just very carefree and fun.

 

I was on the Breakaway with 1400 passengers.  The staff kept joking how they out numbered the guests.  The biggest downfall is they often couldn't find enough volunteers to do some of the games.  Then the Star with 1300 passengers.  After that was the Prima booked at over double capacity.  Even at that I was almost always able to find a chair near one of the side infinity pools to curl up on to read a book, laugh at people who stopped mid way in one of the dry slides, and just enjoy some peaceful moments. 

Sounds amazing, thank you for sharing!!

[Grimix]

1 hour ago, smillerholmes said:

last 16 days is Rome to NY.

Wait, but its only about a 5 hour drive from Rome to the city... Oh... you mean Rome Italy, not NY.

New York, probably the only place on Earth where you can drive from Rome into Mexico in about an hour...

[laudergayle]

@cruiseny4life saw your daily itinerary on the other post.  You might enjoy this app. LearnPro Blackjack.  It teaches you the strategy behind Blackjack then you can practice what you have learned.  It costs $2.99 but after that there is no more cost.  I haven’t played for awhile, but when I was practicing I was up to 96% accuracy.  I thought I would try playing on our cruise last fall…but then I realized I was way too cheap to play a min $5 per hand.  

[www3traveler]

Shortly after midnight (Nov 23rd Thanksgiving), all the Christmas decorations start going up.  It is amazing how much can get done by staff in a very short period of time.

[cruiseny4life]

39 minutes ago, Grimix said:

Wait, but its only about a 5 hour drive from Rome to the city... Oh... you mean Rome Italy, not NY.

New York, probably the only place on Earth where you can drive from Rome into Mexico in about an hour...

Hahahaha that took me a minute too! Then I was like, wait! The real Rome! Not the Fort Stanwix Rome. Thanks for the laugh! 

[cruiseny4life]

30 minutes ago, laudergayle said:

@cruiseny4life saw your daily itinerary on the other post.  You might enjoy this app. LearnPro Blackjack.  It teaches you the strategy behind Blackjack then you can practice what you have learned.  It costs $2.99 but after that there is no more cost.  I haven’t played for awhile, but when I was practicing I was up to 96% accuracy.  I thought I would try playing on our cruise last fall…but then I realized I was way too cheap to play a min $5 per hand.  

That $5 minimum a hand thing gets in my way. I'm sweating when I lose $20 in the casino...much less the amounts others lose. Nope, not for me! But, Blackjack is fun! When you're using pennies to play. And none of that insurance or whatever thing. That's where the LearnPro you're talking about probably comes in handy. 

Lots of sea days. I don't think you'll see many "live"ish posts from me at the tables or one-armed bandits. It would be really cool if you still had to pull the arm thingy!

[cruiseny4life]

6 minutes ago, www3traveler said:

Shortly after midnight (Nov 23rd Thanksgiving), all the Christmas decorations start going up.  It is amazing how much can get done by staff in a very short period of time.

Wow! I didn't even think of this. Well, that might be a fun way to tour the ship. Pre Christmas decorations. Post Christmas decorations! Thanks for the tip.

[Grimix]

56 minutes ago, laudergayle said:

 I thought I would try playing on our cruise last fall…but then I realized I was way too cheap to play a min $5 per hand.

And don't forget that the rules you're playing in the app probably don't even apply to the $5/hand games. I think they don't pay 3/2 on blackjacks until you start talking quarter tables. I'll stick to the PaiGow table. They may screw the dealers over by making them pay commissions on bets made for them, but at least I lose slower (or in the case of my last cruise broke even on an hour of play...)

 

Went to Vegas with the kids earlier this year. My wife isn't a gambler (and I'm only a small time one. I know how to play and enjoy it, just prefer to not lose a lot so only play small (and $5 is now small) stake games.) We decided to try our luck one night and got a hot dealer. We both ended up $200 each after about an hour. The dealer tried to get us to stay (maybe because I was playing for her, but almost every time I played for her I lost...), but you don't win unless you leave!

[mking8288]

Don't forget, check the Freestyle Daily onboard for meeting King Neptune, the right of passage during the crossing.  

[laudergayle]

4 minutes ago, Grimix said:

And don't forget that the rules you're playing in the app probably don't even apply to the $5/hand games. I think they don't pay 3/2 on blackjacks until you start talking quarter tables. I'll stick to the PaiGow table. They may screw the dealers over by making them pay commissions on bets made for them, but at least I lose slower (or in the case of my last cruise broke even on an hour of play...)

 

Went to Vegas with the kids earlier this year. My wife isn't a gambler (and I'm only a small time one. I know how to play and enjoy it, just prefer to not lose a lot so only play small (and $5 is now small) stake games.) We decided to try our luck one night and got a hot dealer. We both ended up $200 each after about an hour. The dealer tried to get us to stay (maybe because I was playing for her, but almost every time I played for her I lost...), but you don't win unless you leave!

You lost me at 3/2…lol. Actually the LearnPro teaches more about when to hit, hold, double, split and it takes you through 340 scenarios.  I will have to Google to learn more about what you mentioned…not that I’ll ever sit at the table. 1) not confident enough and 2) cheap.  But congrats to you and your DW for knowing how to walk away 😎

[smillerholmes]

1 hour ago, mking8288 said:

Don't forget, check the Freestyle Daily onboard for meeting King Neptune, the right of passage during the crossing.  

Wait! Whuuuut?!?

 

Who is this King Neptune you speak of...?

[WickedRed]

2 hours ago, Grimix said:

Wait, but its only about a 5 hour drive from Rome to the city... Oh... you mean Rome Italy, not NY.

New York, probably the only place on Earth where you can drive from Rome into Mexico in about an hour...

You can do that in Maine.  Takes 58 mins to drive from Rome to Mexico and you can make a pit stop in Peru on the way.  Founding fathers weren't all that original with names for new towns and cities were they.

[mking8288]

9 minutes ago, smillerholmes said:

Wait! Whuuuut?!?  Who is this King Neptune you speak of...?

Sir/Alexa/Google/Bing/Bard it online ... also refer to as the Line Crossing Ceremony, ancient rite of passage for seafarers associated with the King.  Baptism for first timer and it's going to be on a sea day, outside - upper deck, weather permitting, will be listed in the FSD, LOL.    

[Go2SeaTheWorld]

On 8/1/2023 at 7:38 AM, cruiseny4life said:

Well, last night we booked a Transatlantic from Spain to NYC. Apparently we enjoy cruising holidays. We've already cruised over New Years Eve/Day and Easter. Now we're cruising Thanksgiving. Since many of our fine fellow fare paying passengers will probably not be American, I don't expect anything over the top. I am wondering if those who have sailed could give me a little bit of information on what American Thanksgiving will look like onboard.

 

I'm going to take a huge guess and assume a giant turkey won't be starting us down as we enjoy our Thanksgiving day? 

 

Source: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcarnival-news.com%2F2012%2F11%2F21%2Fgobble-gobble-carnival-invites-a-giant-turkey-to-thanksgiving-on-the-carnival-breeze%2F&psig=AOvVaw1wEVfjPvysdSFdznPQWIim&ust=1690979706728000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBAQjRxqFwoTCOCuv7q8u4ADFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD

 

We've booked the 11 day Epic from Haifa to Rome starting on Nov. 19th, so I had been wondering about the holiday acknowledgement, too. Really wasn't expecting it because of the Itinerary, but will be interesting to see what happens!

[GORDONCHICK]

9 minutes ago, Go2SeaTheWorld said:

We've booked the 11 day Epic from Haifa to Rome starting on Nov. 19th, so I had been wondering about the holiday acknowledgement, too. Really wasn't expecting it because of the Itinerary, but will be interesting to see what happens!

Their cruise ends in the US so they have a better chance of Thanksgiving, but you could see some as well.

[smillerholmes]

6 hours ago, mking8288 said:

Sir/Alexa/Google/Bing/Bard it online ... also refer to as the Line Crossing Ceremony, ancient rite of passage for seafarers associated with the King.  Baptism for first timer and it's going to be on a sea day, outside - upper deck, weather permitting, will be listed in the FSD, LOL.    

Thank you so much! I must have been checking my eyelids for cracks because I guess I missed this little tradition.

[UKstages]

On 8/1/2023 at 7:34 PM, cruiseny4life said:

I'm hoping there are some fly-on entertainers and/or something kind of, sort of similar to Broadway Unplugged (Getaway's show).

some members of the cast of “summer,” along with a couple of the performers from syd’s, debuted a broadway-themed revue when i was onboard the prima in may and june. presumably, they’re still doing it.
 

in its first performances, it was rather undisciplined and could have benefited from some direction (i don't think there was a director at all). about half of the songs were done to a recorded music track. the other songs had live keyboard backing only.

[Dorhead1230]

12 hours ago, laudergayle said:

I thought I would try playing on our cruise last fall…but then I realized I was way too cheap to play a min $5 per hand.  

Which ship had $5 blackjack?! I’d kill for $5 blackjack lol! I think the minimums were always $15 when I was on the Joy a few weeks ago (that’s pretty much what it is in AC and at Mohegan Sun on land too, these days). Unless it was cheaper during the daytime, when I wasn’t in the casino because I was doing stuff with my son.

 

@cruiseny4life so happy to see you guys got something booked! Can’t wait for the live! Thanksgiving cruising is one of those experiences I’ll be putting on the to-do list for after I’m retired ☺️

[cruiseny4life]

10 hours ago, UKstages said:

some members of the cast of “summer,” along with a couple of the performers from syd’s, debuted a broadway-themed revue when i was onboard the prima in may and june. presumably, they’re still doing it.
 

in its first performances, it was rather undisciplined and could have benefited from some direction (i don't think there was a director at all). about half of the songs were done to a recorded music track. the other songs had live keyboard backing only.

Oh, this could be entertaining! The best show(?) I've seen at sea is Broadway Unplugged on Getaway. It was well rehearsed and the actual music was live. 

 

I'm going to be looking for this...and gosh, I'm hoping not for a creaky room! I'm trying to ensure my husband does NOT see your review...though I guess it's too late as we're booked, beyond final payment. Your review is really helpful though and I appreciate the time you spent writing it. I know writing to be entertaining, while alerting us to issues, is difficult! 

[cruiseny4life]

9 hours ago, Dorhead1230 said:

Which ship had $5 blackjack?! I’d kill for $5 blackjack lol! I think the minimums were always $15 when I was on the Joy a few weeks ago (that’s pretty much what it is in AC and at Mohegan Sun on land too, these days). Unless it was cheaper during the daytime, when I wasn’t in the casino because I was doing stuff with my son.

 

@cruiseny4life so happy to see you guys got something booked! Can’t wait for the live! Thanksgiving cruising is one of those experiences I’ll be putting on the to-do list for after I’m retired ☺️

@Dorhead1230 and @Grimix, we're heading to Vegas in October after backpacking the Grand Canyon (hence my lack of vacation days for the cruise). I went from education where I had eight weeks of vacation to this new job where I have two jobs. My travel ideas are still in an eight week world and I refuse to explore the world less. 

 

Anywho....I was hoping to find $1 tables in Vegas like I used to find at the Sahara back in the day of 2010. I'm guessing I'll probably be disappointed which means I'll be outside the Bellagio watching that amazing fountain again. 

 

I'll be trying to do the live! My plan (not so sure the other guy is planning on this) is to get the unlimited WiFi. Of course crossing the ocean might not leave the best service, but I'm going to try!  

[Sugar Magnolia]

On 8/1/2023 at 8:38 AM, cruiseny4life said:

We will be sailing on Pr1ma if anyone has specific experience with last year's Thanksgiving. Any other tips/tricks/hacks for sailing during Thanksgiving? Or a Transatlantic? I'm here for them all! 

 

Oh bummer...wish you were sailing on the Viva Transatlantic over Thanksgiving with me instead. I sailed on the Pr1ma Transatlantic last year and had a great time, despite my creaky cabin which I know you are well aware as a Haven Maven.

 

You always have such a great attitude so you will have a great time. And if not, we all benefit from your colorful reviews.

 

Edited August 4, 2023 by Sugar Magnolia

[JoeTec]

Funny story. Our 1st cruise was on the Dawn in 2007. There was 8 of us.

We went to the MDR one night because they were advertising a full turkey dinner.  All of us ordered the turkey & when it came out every piece was gray!  I asked if they had any white meat & the waiter said it was the white meat.  I asked if they were catching the seagulls because it definitely wasn't like any turkey I've ever seen.  The waiter wasn't too happy with my comments. We walked out & ate at the buffet.

 

Fast forward to 2016 & we were on the Epic for Thanksgiving & everyone said it was just a fluke last time blah blah.  We go to the MDR & I ordered fish because I knew. My Mom & brother ordered the turkey & yes it was the gray meat again! 

 

So now it's just a running joke in out family when we cruise everyone says make sure you get the turkey it's tradition 🤣