Last night on the Sun 12/28. EVER!!!!!

[Vyhanek]

Just wondering...........

 

Has anyone EVER seen anyone win big on the Krack-It's? My only experience on several cruises now is just like this posters, a complete SCAM!

[JenDalessan]

You also don't like Princess....perhaps cruising is not for you?:rolleyes:

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=12288555#post12288555

[Toyz711]

last year i saw someone turn in a "free cruise" krack-it. talked to them and they said they had won another one a couple of years before. the most we have won was $50, but we never buy more then about 10 per cruise.

[halos]

Our last cruise was on Celebrity - 8 day Mex Riviera out of San Diego. I did not run into any of the stuck-up people - I found the passenger mix to be identical to NCL and Carnival.

 

You're fortunate. :)

When people on my X cruise inquired of me what lines I had sailed before and I replied, "Carnival." Their eyes glazed over, their noses went up and they seemed to suddenly lose interest in conversation. One Bozo actually asked my DH what kind of car he drove, after my DH told him, the guy said, "Oh, that's too bad."

:mad: Can you imagine?????????:mad:

My X cruise was a 14 day-er. I won't say that I didn't enjoy it because I've never had a bad cruise, but it wasn't active enough for me...there was no 'fun' to be had. Because it was a long cruise, the passengers were a bit too old for us as well. I was very relaxed when I came home from that cruise, unlike my 15 day cruise on the NCL Spirit, when we came home freaking exhausted. We had too much fun to waste any time sleeping. :)

[kittygrace]

I was very relaxed when I came home from that cruise, unlike my 15 day cruise on the NCL Spirit, when we came home freaking exhausted. We had too much fun to waste any time sleeping. :)

 

 

OMG!! Don't you just love that feeling of being exhausted after a vacation?! That's the best feeling, knowing that you got your money's worth of fun and ready to go back to work to get some rest.

 

I'm leaving in less than a month on my next cruise. I could care less what line, I know I'll be having a good time!

[halos]

OMG!! Don't you just love that feeling of being exhausted after a vacation?! That's the best feeling, knowing that you got your money's worth of fun and ready to go back to work to get some rest.

 

I'm leaving in less than a month on my next cruise. I could care less what line, I know I'll be having a good time!

 

We had the most fun on that cruise than any previous. Yeah, it was a good feeling for sure. :D

Have a great time on your cruise!!!! :)

[zqvol]

You also don't like Princess....perhaps cruising is not for you?:rolleyes:

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=12288555#post12288555

 

Did you notice that the OP buys a lot of cabins and gives them away. Nothing is going to please this OP. He needs to move to Seabourne because nothing else is going to come close to his standards.

[Cosmopolitan]

why thank you!!

i love to travel and can't keep my big mouth shut:eek:

common sense gets packed with my rose tinted glasses

 

You enjoy life and share it with others.

Good for you:)

[Toyz711]

i am blushing:o

but i do thank you for that. you made my week. it's this sunshine thing, it's taking over my life:eek:

[Cosmopolitan]

Just wondering...........

 

Has anyone EVER seen anyone win big on the Krack-It's? My only experience on several cruises now is just like this posters, a complete SCAM!

 

We only buy once per cruise..usually at the pool.

 

We have seen one person win a free cruise.

 

I do not play bingo but my sister and I went up for the "2 for 1" at the bar and saw a bingo player win "big bucks"..I forget the amount but we were sorry we weren't playing:)

[salty dingo]

When people on my X cruise inquired of me what lines I had sailed before and I replied, "Carnival." Their eyes glazed over, their noses went up and they seemed to suddenly lose interest in conversation. One Bozo actually asked my DH what kind of car he drove, after my DH told him, the guy said, "Oh, that's too bad."

:mad: Can you imagine?????????:mad:

 

I can't imagine, but if some scumbag said that to me, I would say "see ya - wouldn't want to be ya"

 

Sorry you got to meet a butt-head. But I really think they are in the minority out there.

[DMRick]

I could never say that one brand of ship is bad..since I've been on the same brand with different enjoyment levels.

 

For instance, we sailed NCL in HI which was US flagged, and although we still had a great time, we found the food "ok" and the service horrible horrible. Shows were good, but we were so tired from having fun on our excursions, we slept through most of them. But they were very good. We sailed NCL in September and the food was very good, service was great, we enjoyed the shows, and we booked another NCL cruise (for January).

 

In July, I went on my first Carnival to Nova Scotia (Victory), and had a wonderful time. We had the best waiter, food was good, and our room was very nice. Shows were great, although the showgirls certainly did show LOL! Lots of activities and stuff to do. Several computer time specials. We are just back from a November Carnival cruise (Liberty) and a much bigger ship, but a lot less to do. Not many activities, and the mid child (young teen) was really left out. Not much fun for them..as they didn't really have a meeting place, and not much was posted. If they had mini golf, we didn't see it. Pools and slide were closed way too early and often. Kids were pretty bored..they were usually too young for the activitites (or too old, since the reall young ones had a lot to do). The shows were nice, and the showgirls wore more clothes this time around. Drinks were pricey compared to other cruises (we followed this one with a HAL and the same drink was $2 less each).

 

Last January we went on the Veendam (HAL) and loved it. So much to do, great food, and wonderful shows. Our inside cabins were nice and big, service was great, and just nothing to complain about. In November we went on (Westerdam) HAL, and other than less expensive drinks and better food than Carnival, it was just OK. Our air didn't work for two days, the shower in the bathroom was broken, the tub didn't drain, the shows were terrible. We participated in lots of games for HAL cash, but the prizes took a heck of a lot of Hal cash and were cheesy. Activities were boring, and there wasn't any interesting talks (travel, finance, etc) like we had had on the Veendam.

 

So you never know if the cruise will be a bang up hit..or just a relaxing vacation. We had a great time on each, but it was because of the people we were with, and just the fact that we were on vacation.

[CanadianTwosome]

Krack-Its... I used to work at a little lounge where we sold krack-it tickets. We bought them in lots of 1000 or something like that, and the 'big winner' was maybe $200, with a variety of winners for denominations like $100, $75... you get the picture. We HAD to sell every ticket in a lot because the patrons came in every day and knew there had to be a winner in the box. On a ship, with one 'big winner' the number of tickets printed would be staggering - and they would all have to be sold in order to ensure that ticket was opened. I imagine they would hope that the really big prizes wouldn't all go over the course of the cruise, since then people would stop buying. If only a few went, though, that would actually encourage people to buy... If nobody opens the big ticktes over the course of the cruise, though, they get to throw the rest of that lot away and open a new one for the next cruise. I'm sure they have some better weeks than others.

 

Towels... In the city I live in, many of our grocery stores have carts that take quarters or other coins to detach them from the others and use them. Apparently carts cost thousands of dollars each. (Who knew?) After the stores started implementing the coin 'deposit' system, they stopped losing thousands of dollars every year because people took the carts. Even for the trivial 'deposit' of a quarter, it is worth it for people to just put their cart away after unloading their groceries.

 

I keep seeing reviews and comparisons to other lines, and there seems to be a consistent belief that the more expensive cruises are 'better'. I think that's really relative, though. People keep talking about how everyone has different tastes and some people like NCL more than others, some like Carnival... and isn't that what makes something 'better'? When someone asks you if you are successful, what do you tell them? Do you immediately think about how much money you have in the bank, or do you think about how close your family is, or perhaps how much of the world you've seen, or how much education you have ammassed... and which is 'true' success? Anyway, 'better' is relative, and I think NCL is 'better'. I still love all the others (like so many others, I believe there is no such thing as a 'bad cruise'), but as anyone who's read a few of my posts can probably guess, personal choice is something I value very highly, so regardless of anyone's feelings about the 'problems' with freestyle, NCL is still the only line that gives choices to me to the extent they do. :) Like I said... Better is relative.

[retiredonthesea]

Who needs the breakfast buffet when the omelet station is only a few steps away. Didn't discover NCL omelet stations until 2 cruises ago. They are good!:D (IMO.) I think each ship has them in a different area so you have to ask where they are located. Alot better than what we had on Celebrity.

 

My sister was also lucky enough to win a free cruise by playing BINGO on our Mar. NCL cruise and we won $50.00 on Krack-It's. Didn't spend alot either! It's like the casino sometimes your lucky other times NOT.

 

Retiredonthesea

[Toyz711]

congrats to your sister!!!

yes, the omelets are good..

[saraisarai]

Well put!

[Seago2]

Can anyone honestly say that the OP's comments don't ring true? Even if those things don't bother you, and you've learned how to say no to Krak-its, etc., can you really say that his review doesn't ring a bell????

 

It's all true- every word. Even those among us who have repeatedly sailed NCL must notice that things are changing. I'll leave it at that. I have loved my Spirit cruises, but I can't argue with what the OP posted.

 

OP, thanks for your review. Thanks to everyone who posts a legible review that can help others decide where to drop a few thousand dollars- not a few hundred, or fifty bucks, but thousands. There are a lot of cruising options out there and I, for one, like to be well informed.

 

***

Why would anyone come back with this? Are we in la la land now? Is this a cruise site or some kind of positive (actually quite negative) affirmation board? Are we here to talk about ships? Do you realize what a slap in the face this post is- all under the guise of "sunshine"?

 

 

open up your heart and let the sunshine in sweetie.

 

Life's too short. If cold eggs and unfamiliar offerings on the menu are gonna ruin your vacation, I feel bad for you.

 

I am sorry you did not enjoy your cruise.

[mbarnaby99]

Just wondering...........

 

Has anyone EVER seen anyone win big on the Krack-It's? My only experience on several cruises now is just like this posters, a complete SCAM!

 

I won $1000 the only time I bought them.

[ctdahlquist]

I just spoke to my friend who is just off the Sun this morning. I didn't get too many details, but he said the cruise was great, with no major snafus or problems. The ship was great, and the whole family had a wonderful time.

 

I'm sorry this trip wasn't the OP's cup of tea...

[newmexicoNita]

And what line was it where the buffet had totally different items for breakfast each morning? I have sailed NCL, Celebrity, and Carnival and I can tell you the breakfast buffet on ALL of them are equally poor in selection... but they will fill you up.

 

For a guy who's breakfast usually consists of a couple of energy bars, I really couldn't care less about a breakfast buffet... and I don't think I am alone here.

 

On all of the lines, the one positive at breakfast was fresh fruit. Usually, there was plenty of that, especially grapefruit!

this buffet thing always amazes me: you are right, we have cruised all but one mass marketed lines and breakfast buffet is exactly that. Egg station or yucky scrambed eggs, waffle station, cereal, fruit, cold toast, etc. Actually on our last Star cruise we were served eggs benedict 2 mornings.

 

Nita

[newmexicoNita]

Do not even know where to start. The lost reservations, tour bookings, wife's b-day setup...

 

This is our first and last ride on this disaster. Never thought we would find lower, cheaper (not in dollars) and just more 'K-Mart' than carnival...

 

We are frequent cruisers and this is our 4th major line to try. Heard that NCL was comparable to Princesss. Not even close... Would even go so far as to say a half step down from Carnival depending on the ship.

 

The menus were boring and many items not recognizable. They served the same food every morning (water logged eggs and cold everything else). The cruise staff spent the entire ride peddling lottery tickets rather than entertaining. Never saw them do much else. The big scam was pull tab instant tickets that appearently nobody ever wins more than $50 for spending $5 and claims that there are $2000 prizes seem to be unfounded. The casino cashier tells us half the cruises have no real winners....

 

Another sign of being super cheap... They hold up the gangway lines making people sign out forms for towels and then sign them back in again. Lose a towel and it is $25. Damn things cost them less than 25cents.

 

Drinks, pictures, shops, EVERYTHING is more expensive than any other line we have been on for lower quality merchandise and booze...

 

As for food, if you want anything better than low end buffet food (even in the dining rooms) be prepared to pay $20-30 a head as they have moved all of the good food into the specialty restaurants and even with that cover, only tap water is free.

 

Only plus items... Dine whenever, free ice cream, optional formal nights, Park West has taken over the NCL Art Auctions, Colombian Emeralds onboard, good tour selections...

 

Only tour complaint was that they held us on a tender at Cozumel for 45 min waiting for a family that overslept... Two fuddies got sick and barfed from the exhaust fumes and everyone was left sick from the posion air. The Tulum tour barely had time to drive out and back... no beach break and barely the tour... Tour staff was smug and did not give a damn about all the people they made ill...

 

Back to Princess and RCL for us!!! Maybe a Celebrity try next year... NCL not for us... Too expensive for bottom tier experience...

 

Good sailing!!! and Happy New Year!

I am not going to pick apart everything you said, as we all have our own ideas on what makes a good cruise: Remember you choose one of the worst weeks of the year to cruise. We were not impressed with Celebrity a few years ago, why? I think mainly we choose to cruise during Thanksgiving week. Most lines don't handle the holiday crowd as well as they would like. I will say a couple of things, how could the food be boring if you didn't even recognize 1/2 of what was offered, I would say that indicates the food was quite original, not boring.

 

The scratch off krack-its, we have never been pressured to purchase and don't anymore. We used to (many years ago) never won more than a $ which is a pretty bad investment so decided to donate to the casino instead. At least the money lasts longer. At least the casino I stand a chance of nursing my money a little longer.

 

We have found all mass marketed lines (yes, we are truely veteran cruisers) to be pretty much the same when it comes to nickel and diming, NCl will stick it to you one way (drinks) other lines, other ways. If you want a more upscale experience I suggest you give HAL a try. It may be more to your liking, but they too charge for the towels if you loose them. I think most lines do now. It is a pain, and yet, can you blame the companies?

 

Nita

[DeltaOne]

this buffet thing always amazes me: you are right, we have cruised all but one mass marketed lines and breakfast buffet is exactly that. Egg station or yucky scrambed eggs, waffle station, cereal, fruit, cold toast, etc. Actually on our last Star cruise we were served eggs benedict 2 mornings.

Which is why we always get an omelet -- hot and made to our request.

[DaytonGirl]

You also don't like Princess....perhaps cruising is not for you?:rolleyes:

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=12288555#post12288555

 

Wow. Are you that bored that you waded through all the OPs prior posts in order to find one to discredit him?

 

I read the post you so kindly directed us to and found it to be very well written. The best part was the summary where he (or she?) said the problems were overall minor and would probably be corrected by Princess in time. He also said he was going to try NCL next, which he obviously did, only to discover that NCL was the worst of them all.

 

The OP did say good things about the other lines he was on so I guess cruising is for him after all. He just wants good value for his money.

 

A couple of posts later in the same thread he gives a very good description of what he likes in a cruise and why. Overall I found his posts to be very credible and informative. Just the type of thing I like to read to help me make decisions on future cruises.

[DaytonGirl]

The menus were boring and many items not recognizable. They served the same food every morning (water logged eggs and cold everything else).

 

It's funny how we all read things differently. I took the above comments by the OP to be a criticism of the way the food was prepared and served. I don't think he would be complaining about having the same food every morning if it was cooked properly and served hot.

 

I also don't feel he didn't know what the items on the menu were (since the menus were boring), just that what arrived was a poor representation of what it was supposed to be.

 

Of course, if I were looking for somethng to pick apart in order to discredit the review....:rolleyes:

[newmexicoNita]

Wow. Are you that bored that you waded through all the OPs prior posts in order to find one to discredit him?

 

I read the post you so kindly directed us to and found it to be very well written. The best part was the summary where he (or she?) said the problems were overall minor and would probably be corrected by Princess in time. He also said he was going to try NCL next, which he obviously did, only to discover that NCL was the worst of them all.

 

The OP did say good things about the other lines he was on so I guess cruising is for him after all. He just wants good value for his money.

 

A couple of posts later in the same thread he gives a very good description of what he likes in a cruise and why. Overall I found his posts to be very credible and informative. Just the type of thing I like to read to help me make decisions on future cruises.

I understand what DG did, I too, will sometimes go back and quickly check to see where a poster is coming from. This particular OP seems to want value for his dollar as you said, but doesn't realize what true value is. What is the old saying, you get what you pay for: If I go to Wal-Mart and get an electric griddle for $10 less than I can get the same one anywhere else: that is value for my dollar. If I get a sweatshirt at K-Mart, on sale for $8.00 I don't expect it to be the same as what I get from Land's End for $25.00. I am guessing, other than the fact he sailed during the most expensive week of the year, he paid less for his NCL cruise than say, his RCI one. We are about to venture on a cruise to the Mex Riv on Princess. OUr price was very low, do I expect the same quality in food, etc as I get from HAL? Of course not and I will take that into considereation when I judge the experience.

 

Nita