Sand and Seas

56 minutes ago, itsnotjustme said:

I am fairly new to CAS but have booked one cruise through them which was a comped 7-day inside (plus $20/person/day fee) which we upgraded to a club balcony. We take that cuise this fall. 

 

I was planning to book at 12-night Asia cruise, and through Ryan was twice told 20% off on an ocean view or Balcony.  One of those times was just last week.  I went to book it a few days ago, and a woman I have not spoken to before told me 10%.  I noted twice being told 20% and was told I only qualify for 10%.

 

No thanks.

 

My TA was offering free pre-paid gratuities (worth $480) and 10 airline miles per dollar of cruise fare (worth nearly $1,000).  That is worth much more than 10% off.

Free pre-paid DSC is a nice deal!  

As for the 10 or 20% off, that is a perfect example of getting different answers from different agents.  Since it's for a twelve day and you haven't taken your fall cruise yet, I would guess that's why they are just giving you a percent off offer.   

Was you fall comped cruise a certificate from a land based casino?  Or was it a direct comp from CAS?  If you are looking to see if they will give you another comp, I would suggest you call back after your next cruise.  Then they will have a little more info on how you play per cruise.  It will probably be easier to get a comp on a 7 day than a 12 day.   When you are just beginning with CAS, they will probably only let you have one comped cruise on the books at a time.    

1 hour ago, Travelicious said:

Here’s something I love about the ship in public restrooms:

 

 

Left is soap, middle is water, and right is DRYER!  Maybe not much of a big deal to some of you, but amazing to us country bumpkins!

And did you notice the purplish light out of the hand dryer?  If you move your hand under the light you can see it spells the word "DRY" 🧐

2 hours ago, Travelicious said:

It’s a no in Metropolitan.

Metropolitan bar was our favorite on our April Galveston to Miami Prima.  Excellent bartenders. 

Hope you get to dinner in Indulge food hall.  Usually easier to get a seat and the menu is different from lunch.   

Loving your review!  Thanks for sharing with us😎

We rented using Costco for Enterprise (MCO) and returned at the port also.  Three car rental agencies use the same building and there was a shuttle to the pier.  All very easy.

We stayed at Best Western Cocoa Beach.  Nice location with some units facing the ocean and beach.  Then, just a few miles to the port to drop off care & start the cruise.😎

46 minutes ago, Panhandle Couple said:

Guess I got confused that with Harvest Caye, which we visited on our 2 BA cruises.

It has been announced they have permission to add a pier for docking at GSC.  Unfortunately, that will not be ready for awhile.

We prefer the Ocean Blue menu over Le Bistro, but that's personal preference. And, both have great desserts!    If you go to Le Bistro, the Mushroom soup is excellent😎

59 minutes ago, UKstages said:

 

my thoughts exactly.

 

ultimately, it all worked out. but i do think everyone calling to complain really woke CAS management up and had a lot to do with the program enhancements.

 

(of course, i don't sail till the end of the month, so i haven't experienced any of it yet.)

Yes, I believe that all of our calls to CAS with our concerns did lead to changes that I feel improved our benefits. Many voices & many concerns that I believe made a difference.

I had a long talk with one agent who said that she would be sharing my concerns & suggestions with the supervisors.  They were having a meeting later that day.   I had told her I would rather be offered an inexpensive soda or Starbucks package than be forced to pay the basic FAS fees in order to be 'gifted' the Premium Plus that we wouldn't really utilize.   Ultimately, no cost basic FAS package which works perfectly for us.

50 minutes ago, Always Cruising said:

Thanks for everyone's thoughts and experiences...seems the program has kinks to be worked out. 

Personally, I wouldn't say there are still 'kinks'.  Were there changes from the mailers & emails some received prior to April 1st🤔    Absolutely!  But in my opinion, they made improvements for the Ruby & Elite tiers.

My experience on our April 5th cruise was exactly what the currently posted Tier benefits say.    

34 minutes ago, Always Cruising said:

Sand and Seas - Ruby and Elite are supposed to get the FAS + package, according to new rules.  Did you receive it?  I've had differing answers as to whether passengers 1&2 have to pay taxes in advance on basic FAS and then are given FAS+ onboard.  Last answer was that we don't need to have the basic package, and will be given  FAS+ once on board.  But clear info is difficult to find....

The NCL Casinos at Sea page today just shows basic FAS drinks for Ruby and 2nd passenger.  Elite shows Premium Plus for passengers 1 & 2.     Are you seeing it anywhere else in writing?  It has been a very confusing process since they were 'tweaking' the new perks right up to April 1st. 

A few days prior to April 1st, we were seeing that we would need to pay Fees for basic package and then would receive Premium Plus.  We didn't want the Plus package so this was frustrating for us.  We were happy when it changed to no fees paid and getting the basic FAS.   I called CAS a couple of days before our April 5th cruise and they verified they could see the FAS basic drink package on our amenities and we did NOT have to pay the 20% fee.

I do miss getting unopened cans of Diet Coke from the casino bar, but it's nice getting drinks from any bar on the ship.   Cartons of one liter Flow water were sent to our room.  

3 hours ago, Seminole1975 said:

I heard from someone who works on board that the Imaginarium will stay the same. They do Broadway Unplugged in there. I have also heard that they will take up the dance floor in the Tropicana as Burn the Floor is no longer on the Getaway. 

Absolutely LOVED Broadway Unplugged with the very talented cast of MDQ (and others) creating one of the best shows we have seen at sea.  Million Dollar Quartet is a production we never miss due to the great performances from the cast.   

2 hours ago, Always Cruising said:

Could you confirm how the drink packages have worked?  I've been told (final answer - after much conflicting info from different CAS reps) that passenger 1&2 get the upgraded FAS drink package, without having paid/purchased the basic FAS drinks.  

I am Ruby in casino and we sailed April 5th on Prima.  We did not pay the 20% fee for FAS drinks.  When we got our boarding cards they had UB on them which gave us the basic FAS drinks anywhere on the ship for passengers 1&2.   

If there isn't a UB on your card when you check in, I would suggest you go to guest services and have them check with Casino hosts to verify your status.  

54 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

We used to always book the Spa Haven because of the price point (considering the cost of the Thermal Suite pass). We love the tub!!!

 

Now, we're booking the forward facing Haven rooms for the extra space and price point. 

Yes!   On the Joy (with no former spa haven cabins), we absolutely LOVED the Forward Facing Haven.  So nice having that outer living room. We are planning another FF Haven next year😎

43 minutes ago, DorothyB said:

I just watched a you tube video where the creator said he found out at a Q&A on board that:

1) the casino will be enclosed, so no longer open to the atrium area

2) a venue will be changed to the Q restaurant (can't remember which venue as I didn't care 🙂 )

Interesting.  I would guess they would only enclose a smoking section of casino like the newer ships.

I wonder if they are converting dinner theater space to Q.  That would be similar to newer ships also.

16 minutes ago, roddy good boy said:

What does the Q restaurant serve? Is it specialty? 

Q is a barbeque specialty restaurant on some ships. On Prima it is a complimentary 'food truck' in Indulge food court.

26 minutes ago, The Traveling Man said:

Some of them have been problematic.  Ours began leaking during a Trans Atlantic cruise.  They managed to repair it within a day, then our stateroom attendant spent most of the rest of the day mopping up the mess.

We haven't ever had a problem with them.  Glad they fixed yours promptly. 

Many Haven cabins have a combination shower and narrow tub that is difficult to step into for showering.  We love the separate shower and the oversized whirlpool tub in these cabins.  In my opinion the value the tub adds to these cabins would outweigh occasional plumbing issues

We did a couple of Haven cruises last year including the Joy and we haven't received anything like that precruise.  Maybe it was the disembarkation Gold tags?  

When calling CAS on the regular phone number, I have gotten lucky with newbie agents who are willing to bypass the 'offers' listed on my account by going to their supervisor for permission. The supervisor can authorize special cabins like a B1 Aft or a M6 Club with large balcony.

This only works if you have a decent playing history.  They are looking for consistency over last three or more cruises.  If you don't like what they offer you, just say you will wait to book.  Then call back another day.  Patience may be required 😉

(I miss May too!)

4 hours ago, Bulk-head said:

Enclosing casino smoking section.

Have you heard that from someone official? 

 Or are we all just hoping 🤞

I can't imagine a reason why they would remove  these  whirlpool tubs from the Getaway cabins.  All the plumbing  has been in place since the  ship first  sailed.  Why tear out  something that hasn't  been  a problem?

Tortola is a lovely island and a favorite of ours. I hope this isn't a sign of them cancelling it from other cruises.

This will definitely make a difference on Alaskan or other cold weather cruises.  Will they add more seating with so many wanting to spend time there?  

On our recent ten day southern Caribbean Encore cruise, we maybe visited the Observation Lounge on two or three days.  Lots of space available on those days.

29 minutes ago, roddy good boy said:

This is my first post COVID cruise. I remember there was an alternative specialty restaurant that Haven guests could complementary go to on that first day (Margaritaville, and then later American Diner). Is there an alternative? 

There was the American Diner on many ships, but earlier this year it became a complimentary venue for all.  No longer an exclusive lunch for Haven embarkation.  Sadly, no more Lobster rolls on the menu.  However, we did enjoy eating lunch there a couple of times. 

52 minutes ago, genealogyfan said:

I just got off the Prima last week and they didn't have any cookies anywhere. People were complaining about it with each other too.

We just got off the Prima last week too.   We received a plate of fresh & delicious cookies delivered to our room.  It was probably one of our Club Suite 'amenity' deliveries.  I didn't look for cookies elsewhere and never ate at the buffet.  We loved Indulge Food Hall and were quite satisfied with the hand scooped ice cream choices most days.   

(My mom was a genealogy 'fan' too!  Decades ago, I spent many hours helping her research those old microfiche files.)

57 minutes ago, Sailing12Away said:

Not happy about the new Thai place replacing Food Republic. Also not too happy about an entire restaurant dedicated just to vegetarian diners. That seems something better suited to a food truck in Indulge rather than an entire sit down place. I'm sure there's more veggie friendly folks than I think there are, but I seriously doubt it will be a place that appeals to >50% of the guests.

The Thai place isn't vegetarian, but I will miss Food Republic.  

Reading the article above, the vegetarian venue is one of the 'food trucks' in Indulge. It sounds like they are increasing from seven (on Prima) to ten venues on the new ship.  I'm hopeful that the other new venues they are adding to Indulge will give us some favorites from Food Republic and/or Shanghai menus from other ships.   

17 hours ago, wdwkings said:

Use MIA more for work but have used it for a few non work trips.  TSA can vary.  TSA pre check will help and Clear is an option if you are a member.

 

Our shortest TSA was with pre check last year after a cruise, 5 min or less at terminal H for Delta.  It is predominantly American at the North Terminal.  So remember which carrier can impact waits at the terminal.

Good point.  We used TSA pre-check after Miami cruise last week.  Delta terminal H was about 5 minutes.

We usually stay one night before cruise at the Hampton Inn Blue Lagoon for all of the reasons people have listed here.  Great place to unwind after travel.  Free Shuttle from airport and inexpensive shuttle to port.  Staff is great.  Decent breakfast.  We have stayed there pre-cruise at least 9 or 10 times.

Besides the Publix and Cuban restaurant across the street, we have also found it handy to have somewhere to shop for something we forgot to pack....like sandals!  There is a Burlington Coat Factory that has any item of clothing you might have forgotten.