seemoreroyals

6 hours ago, McFins said:

In my experience I have found the thermal suite to be loud about half of the time (unfortunately) but really did appreciate those times it was quiet.   On one sailing it was like an extension of the bar, with drinks and all (in glasses, not even plastic) with several folks just sitting on the edge of each of their heated loungers just chatting.  When the staff became aware of it they did tell them they couldn’t have glass in there but that only solved half of the issue.  
On another occasion someone screamed  “weeeeeeee” every time the bubbles started up in the thalassotherapy pool…kind of like you would hear in an amusement park. 
It really just depends on the passengers on any particular sailing.   I’ve been in the thermal suite when it was full but quiet and other times when it was just a handful of people but loud.   
It would be great if they would have a thermal suite monitor and/or a reminder when checking in at the front desk that is intended to be a quiet space but apparently the staff doesn’t want to be confrontational.  
I guess folks each have their own way of enjoying that space.  
 

Your experience is very similar to the one and only time we did the thermal spa a few years back on Breakaway.  We were wanting a quiet area to relax and read but instead it was like an echo chamber in there.  Also found it a little too humid and clammy.

Since then we have discovered the vibe and find it much more our cup of tea.  Plus they have a bar, fresh air,  and outstanding waitstaff.  

5 hours ago, Candy Apple 12 said:

 

 

 

Wow, four posters don’t recommend Palomar. I was thinking of trying it on my upcoming cruise. I wanted to try the sea bass, my favorite fish. Anyone care to comment more specifically as to why you were disappointed with Palomar? 

Our group of four ate at Palomar on Prima this past December.  My wife and our friends wife both had the sea bass.  I had red snapper or some other type of fish dish I cannot recall exactly.  All three of us were in agreement that there was no flavor.  It was really bland.  Our waitress seemed put upon when I asked for some salt.  

It's a seafood place.  They should have great seafood.  In our case it was not.  I hope they find a way to make it better.  On a related note the best seafood I may have ever had on a cruise ship was at Los Lobos on the same cruise a couple of days later.  It was full of flavor.  So, if you decide to give Palomar a whirl proceed with caution.

Another vote for Los Lobos on Prima.  One of the best meals we have ever had on any NCL ship and we have eaten at just about every specialty diner they have over the years.  The quac and queso we got as appetizers were outstanding.  Chips and hot sauce were abundant and tasty.  The service and the entire meal exceeded expectations from beginning to end.  

For a second specialty dinner I would go with either Cagneys, Onda, or the Japanese habachi place.  I agree with Bird on Palomar.  We ate there and were severely underwhelmed.

46 minutes ago, ggTexasGal said:

Drink service in the buffet, such as coffee?  We have taken dozens of NCL cruises over the years, but I can't recall ever being offered "drink service." Probably, we just eat and move on more quickly than the average person, but I've only noticed the tables being cleared and silverware being restocked.

Yep.  That is the only type of service we have ever received at the buffet.  Everything else AFAIK is self service.

1 minute ago, schmoopie17 said:

Carp? I think you misspelled another word...

Nope.  I can vouch that some people consider a carp sandwich a delicacy.  Eating a fish sandwich with bones in it is not my thing.  Give it a try if you ever make it to Omaha.  

59 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

 

As I prefaced my comment, I consider Tilapia a trash fish and would normally never order it. Yet, it is a very popular item. Maybe not in Omaha, but around our parts. My local fishmonger sells tilapia fresh (i.e., out of a tank). Personally, I would prefer eating fish every night over meat. Does that mean that I will never order a steak, nope,,, enjoy a good steak once or twice a cruise. 

 

My point is that while Omaha people may not eat Tilapia, others do. And providing a variety of entrees is what others seek. If they served salmon every night, people would complain that the menu never changes. 

The worst fish I have eaten anywhere was of all places in Omaha.  We had a gambling buddy of ours talk us into driving over to a well known eatery in Omaha to try a carp sandwich.  To my wife's credit she would not even try it.  I did and I can tell you that it was very bony and IMO not much taste. My buddy chomped away on his,  bones and all,  finishing and still maintaining how great it was.

On 5/21/2024 at 9:00 AM, BirdTravels said:

 

The buffet will have a theme. The MDR do not. 

 

Probably about 85% of the buffet is not affected by the night's theme. The themes drive the featured items on the buffet and carving station.
 

So, you can always get a bowl of Asian noodle soup on BBQ Night. And you can always get Indian food on Seafood Night. And you can always get hot dogs, hamburgers, pizzas

Somewhat related, while MDR's do not have theme nights they do sometimes have specials.  I recall the MDR had prime rib special on the Bliss a couple of years ago.  In our case it took forever to get our food as seemingly everyone was ordering prime rib.  That is the closest thing I have seen to a theme whereas the buffet will have mexican food night one night and seafood night the next.  

Haven't been on Aqua but have been on Prima. On our cruise out of Galveston this past December it was sold out and then some.  Overly energetic kids running everywhere.   So thankful we had the vibe passes to escape this madness at least during the day.  Money well spent IMO.  

1 hour ago, JGmf said:

Hope to see both @UKstages and @vacation44 in the Vibe in about a month on 6/2!  (Not sure how we'd know who is who, but that's fine too).

Hope you all get a chance to meet up.

So far nothing to get rant about.  Except for the bad weather.

That is strange.  We booked the vibe on Prima for last years cruise almost a year out and we booked the vibe on Escape for our cruise later this year almost a year out.  Good luck.  Hope it works out for you.  Maybe someone who has booked the vibe on Viva before can chime in.  Must be a different policy depending on the ship.

ETA -  Maybe go with the cabana rental.  Access to vibe comes with it I think for not much more than the cost of 2 vibe passes.

Meh on the free water.  The only way I will drink it is out of the box over a glass of ice.  Otherwise it does not taste very good.

Prima does not have cabanas in Vibe or at least they did not when we last sailed in December.  They did keep a carafe of fresh iced water next to  us at all times.  Thought that was a nice touch.  Prefer over the boxed water.  

14 hours ago, Tracibelle said:

Available 120 days before sailing online. 

As soon as you book your cruise,  if the TA or CAS or NCL agent working with you will not do it for you,  go to the entertainment section on your reservation on NCL's website and see if Vibe is available to be booked.  Our past two cruises I was able to do this on the Prima in Feb 2023 for Dec 2023 cruise and on the Escape in Feb 2024 for our Dec 2024 cruise.  In both cases I was able to book the Vibe on the same day our cruise was booked.

Don't rely on others.  In some cases they may be up to date on Vibe booking policy but in our case working with CAS the agent said we could not book vibe until closer to cruise date.  Both cases they were wrong.  If you book far enough ahead you should be able to get the Vibe with no problem.  If you book closer to sail date I would check every day for availability in the event somebody cancels.  I would not wait until on board or rely on others for help.

25 minutes ago, vacation44 said:

Do you see your certificates in your account?   If you do, when you go to make a payment, click on payment amount putting $250 in the box, then go down and click on your certificate, then go down and click on the I accept box (or whatever it states), then hit make payment.

Thank you for pointing this out.  I have always in the past called CAS and waited on hold to get something like this done.  Just checked my account to verify the $250 had been deducted and for the first time noticed the payment button.  Upon hitting that I realized that my remaining CNC's along with their cert number are listed there.  Next time I am going to do it myself instead of waiting on hold for CAS.  

Thanks everyone for bringing up the March 22 triple up cruise next certificate offer.  Just got off phone with CAS and switched our upcoming cruise from 2 cruise next certificates to 3 cruise next certificates.  Depending on how you look at it we saved either $125 or $250.  They also told me that this offer is good through the end of this month.  If you have extra CNC's on hand it's free money there for the taking.

Do you have to use a specialty dinner or pay an extra fee to dine at Supper Club on Escape?

1 hour ago, FirmBeliever said:

Cruising on Prima next January for a 14 day Caribbean itinerary.   Vibe is $329 per person.  Seems like a lot!  The videos are tempting me though.  

 

We have only cruised once, also Caribbean last month on the Encore.  Vibe was sold out before we even booked.  We attempted to go to the pool a few times, but found it completely overwhelming and it was not worth the trouble to even try to get into the pool or hot tub.  I was sad not to have at least used the hot tubs as I really enjoy them.  Sitting in crowded loungers was not fun for us at all.  We also would never want to claim spots at 7am and walk away from them.  It just seems so entitled.  I'm also a former teacher and don't particularly want to be anywhere near kids any longer unless they are well behaved.   On the Encore we spent a lot of Sea Day afternoons in the couches outside on the deck that had the speciality dining places and hung out a lot in the Observation Lounge and bar area.   

 

I'm fair skinned, so am not a huge sit in the sun all day person - shade umbrellas are a must.  Husband also needs shade.  We do enjoy cocktails - but are not party party dancing hooting and hollering people.  We love a good bar tender and trying new drinks.  Chill vibe with opportunities to meet small groups of people would be perfect - which I gather can be the case in vibe.    I'm 55, and my husband is 59 - we are retired.  I'm a tad nervous about the reviews I'm reading about crowdedness on the Prima - but I read the same about Encore, and we did not experience that at all.   Do we sound like good Vibe candidates?  

That's a bargain on a 14 day cruise.  Don't have regrets.  Book the vibe if you still can before it sells out.

15 minutes ago, zqvol said:

The only catch is that if you are not a sun worshiper, then the vibe is a waste of money

We are definitely not sun worshipers.  We moved around a bit and got some help from the crew to place the provided umbrellas in such a way to keep the sun off of us.  

We do like being outdoors though.  Especially when it is about 75 degrees with a nice breeze. Wife and I side by side enjoying a good book with a carafe of water and each of our favorite adult beverage awaiting our attention.

16 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

It will be a lovely honeymoon gift. But,,, once it goes on sale online, it will sell out quickly, so if you want it, grab it. 

Good to see that you are coming around and changing your opinion on the vibe.  In the past you have been one of this forums biggest critics of the vibe.  

To the OP the vibe is a wonderful and serene place to get away and be pampered, away from the hustle and bustle, no chair hogs or screaming kids to deal with.  Wonderful drink service.  Bartenders and waiters are some of the best on the ship.

A great place to spend part of your honeymoon.  But like the bird says book it ASAP as it is very popular and sells out quickly.  Don't wait to get it when you get on the ship.  In all likelihood it will be too late unless there is a last minute cancellation.

5 minutes ago, joespin said:

Hi everyone. We had some friends just off an NCL cruise. Like us they only had a basic internet plan. I believe it is 150 minutes for the duration of the cruise. In any event, unbeknownst to them, they found out that even if you do not use the internet but have your phone connected to their wifi network you will be consuming minutes. They had to argue with the staff to get their minutes reinstated. What this means to me is you have to continually logon and log off of the wifi network to conserve your minutes. Does this sound correct to you?

You have to sign out each time you use internet.  If not your free 150 minutes will be gone in a flash.

On 3/14/2024 at 10:59 AM, Grandmafreddie said:

Thank you for Info. Which special restaurent did you enjoy going to make reservations with ppc in few mo.

To our surprise we thought Los Lobos was the best of the three we tried.  We both had the table prepped quac, cheese fondue,wife had carne asada, I had the spicy white fish.  Everything including service was wondeful.  Plenty of chips and  hot sauce.

We also dined at Cagneys and Palomar. Cagneys was great as usual.  Palomar was a disappointment for us and would not recommend.

1 hour ago, CharmCity2000 said:

How is access to the Vibe controlled?  Is it via a wrist band or to you swipe your key card to get in?

On Prima in Dec they asked for our room key on day 1 to verify that we had paid for access.  They put a smiley face decal on for easy verification on future visits.  

On any given day we watched quite a few attempts to enter the vibe with no vibe pass.  The staff usually got to them within a minute or two and escorted them out nicely.  

On Prima the vibe has a sliding glass door that requires key access.  Problem is after guest comes or goes it stays open for about 30 seconds.  

2 hours ago, cruisegirl1976 said:

How far in advance can you usually book the passes?

We booked our upcoming Dec cruise vibe passes for Escape at time of booking.  First part of Feb.  CAS agent that I booked it with said I would not be able to book vibe passes until about 60 days out.  Once I got through with her I went to NCL website and noticed vibe passes on my cruise were available for booking.  They were under the entertainment section.

It may vary from ship to ship.  I would try to book them as soon as you possibly can.  The vibe is popular with a lot of people and sells out fast.

To @Chirphy6438  some vibes do not have cabanas.

15 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Non-refundable is not the same as free.

Have a nice day.😒

12 hours ago, Grandmafreddie said:

So excited goi g in dec from ny cabin 12154. Hope its good. Did bibe gave umbrellas for shade. Booked it and spa. Hope you r having a healthy and fun cruise

Yes vibe provides umbrellas and will help you position the umbrella.  Vibe also has an area with tables and chairs.  We ate our lunch there daily.  The outdoor grill/buffet is literally just steps away.  It is quiet.  Great place to relax and read a book. No screaming kids.

Can't say enough good things about the vibe on Prima.  If you have not already done so there are several good utube videos that will give you a sneak peek of the Prima vibe.  Enjoy.