BaWBarmy

We did this cruise with family in 2016.

Everyone enjoyed it. It's a great cruise with some great stops. How can you not enjoy Rome.

On ‎9‎/‎11‎/‎2019 at 4:04 AM, 17cruisesnsl said:

Not the EPIC or Priscilla but Rock of Ages may be ending its run.     First saw Rock of Ages on the BA in June 2013.  The shows are expensive to produce, but with a high percentage of repeat passengers - 5 Plus years is too long     The first time, I enjoyed it; the second time I tolerated it and the third time - I went to the casino. 

 

According to the article, Six, a musical about the six wives of Henry VIII, will be on the Getaway, the Bliss and The BA.  The article didn't mention length of contract but the same show on three ships is surprising and it didn't say it was replacing the present offering, but I made that assumption- perhaps incorrectly?   Anyone have further information? 

Its a clever ploy by NCL. They're splitting the show between three ships and calling it Two. You have to cruise all 3 ships to see the full show. Genius.

On ‎11‎/‎15‎/‎2019 at 11:58 PM, Shidah said:

Vibe is 100% worth it.  In fact, on my next cruise I am going solo but still booked the Haven just to make sure I can get a Vibe pass.  Vibe definitely makes or breaks my cruise!

I've never sailed Haven or had a Vibe pass but I was just wondering why you pay extra for a Vibe pass when you've already paid for Haven with its private areas and bar etc.?

I'd just like to point out that 'cheap gross whitefish' is the basis of Fish and Chips.

57 minutes ago, don't-use-real-name said:

 

Interestingly the behind the scenes ship tour was confined to the theatre and the galley.

 

The BST (Behind Scenes Tours) whether the paid or Platinum do not include the engine room or the Bridge normally !

The fumes and noise in the engine room areas are not guest user friendly and as for the Bridge security restrictions !

 

What was missing from your BST is the laundry facility and walk through I95 to see a brief view of crew areas. 

There was no access to I95 at the time we were doing the tour, something to do with it being blocked off by engineering temporarily.

I got off the Star yesterday (10th November) we were officially told of a "technical issue" and unofficially told it was due to an engine fire, this came from disembarking passengers on 3rd November. We received notification of the itinerary change by e-mail, in our case at 10:30 pm on 2nd November whilst enjoying a meal in Venice.

The itinerary changes were that we would stop in Split at midday on the first full day, rather than Kotor at 1:00 pm, Split is closer to Venice than Kotor. Second day would now be Dubrovnik, this was scheduled to be the last port of call, but we would now be there for a full day, this is not necessarily a good thing. The next day was now supposed to be Bar to get our fix of Montenegro and also because it is a relatively short trip from Dubrovnik, as it happened we didn't get into Bar due to a combination of poor weather and the unspecified "technical issue" and so we carried on to Corfu the next morning. The day after we were in Argostolli (Kefalonia) this was the highlight of the cruise for me. We then had a sea day and arrived in Venice on time on Sunday morning.

The two furthest ports of call had been dropped. The distances between ports of call had been made as short as possible. Interestingly the behind the scenes ship tour was confined to the theatre and the galley.

I always take my own extension cord, mainly because there are no UK plug sockets in the staterooms. The cord that comes with the cPAP is plenty long enough. I'm also in the fortunate position that I don't need distilled water. I was in receipt of a new cPAP this year that no longer stores data on a card but uses the internet to send data to my GP this is done by using an internal modem and WiFi. So it'll be fun seeing how that works.

No cans of soda included.

They'll probably confiscate it.

Yes. Your steward will clear the fridge if requested. I always ask them so as to remove temptation. There are never any snacks in it though, just drinks.

Vans are an item of casual footwear, similar to the plimsoll or sandshoe as we used to call them. They come in a variety of colours, mine are black, and can be slip on or lace up.

@bkrickles1 No pants! We call that commando where I come from.

You could try booking adjoining cabins. No need for keycard swaps etc. Just open the internal door and swap staterooms as and when necessary, only use one keycard per stateroom to purchase/book things.

13 minutes ago, buddylover said:

Right, they don't disappear, but they also do NOT all go into the ocean......ever see the tons of garbage being taken off the ships for recycling at port????

I urge you to read the final paragraph

https://www.thebalancesmb.com/plastic-recycling-facts-and-figures-2877886

2 minutes ago, SeaShark said:

 

So...you are trying to claim that 6 million bottles are tossed into the ocean?

 

THINK about it...

Perhaps you could tell me what happens to them then?

11 minutes ago, SeaShark said:

 

Seriously? I see eight cruises listed in your signature. Do you have pictures from any of them showing all of this alleged plastic in the water?

I've deliberately chosen cruises away from the seas of plastic.

Seriously if you don't think they exist then maybe you should look at some of the photos that do exist.

Six million bottles from one cruise line, so how many from all the other users and producers of plastic bottles? Were are they going because they don't just disappear.

Good move.

I want to cruise on the Ocean not a sea of plastic.

22 hours ago, 4774Papa said:

I must admit that I know little about how the UK market stacks up against the US.   From talking with my British friends on cruises, it seems that you generally pay more for cruises that we do in the USA.  

 

As for how the promos are priced for UK cruises, I can't say.  My posts are based on my personal experience from booking in the USA.

 

Why don't you provide some details to explain your comments?

When booking in the USA, we are generally required to book with promos like the beverage package or the dining package.  We dislike the beverage package for two main reasons.  First, the wine offerings are not the best.  Second, NCL adds a 20% gratuity to an overvalued daily value ($99 per person per day).   For a 7 day cruise is amount to $133 just in gratuities for one person.  This doesn't count the fact that NCL has bundled the promos with the overall cruise prices, increasing them.

We always decline the beverage package and bring our own wine, pay the $15 corkage fee per bottle and always come out spending less on alcohol than JUST PAYING FOR THE 20% GRATUITY.

 

On Royal, we never have to buy any alcohol, since their free happy hour lasts from 5-8:30 and you can order wine in the MDR or restaurants up until 8:30.  On Celebrity, we usually have to purchase some wine for dinner, but the cost is modest.  We might spend $300 total on a 14 day cruise.

We don't pay the 20% gratuity. We pay a fee for the right to have any two of five perks, that fee being £99 for a seven night cruise, the gratuity is included. We can do this even if booking a Sailaway or Guarantee. So I would probably say that two nights in speciality restaurants would counter free drinks for a few hours every day. My point was that I have seen you say before that of all the offerings for loyalty that NCL is worse than the others and yet I can't really see why.

My first experience on a cruise ship was with the 'art' auction people. We were accosted just after boarding and asked if we wanted to guess the price of a 'genuine' Picasso engraving, the person closest to the price would get to keep the engraving. Whilst casting an inexperienced eye and placing a completely uneducated guess on the price of the piece the young lady tried to tempt us to attend the 'art' auction later on the cruise. I asked what sort of stuff they would auction, not knowing that this wasn't the only 'art' auction at sea. The reply was "well all sorts, who is your favo(u)rite artist?" I said it was Turner to which I got a slightly puzzled look and then "Oh sure, we have sculptures too"

Needless to say we went to the auction anyway despite the fact that we thought the auction staff knew naff all about art. Turns out they weren't the only ones, our estimate on the engraving was way out, although I never did see them give the $30,000 engraving to the closest guess.

Oh and the auction was terrible, those that had shown an interest in pieces pre-auction were swooped upon to make spectacular bids on items that were no better than a piece of paper dropped in a puddle of paint.

My advice is that no piece of free 'art' should be enough to tempt you to go to one. The sooner they kick them off the ships and dedicate the space they take up to something else, the better.

19 hours ago, 4774Papa said:

The main benefits from NCL Platinum is two meals (one with wine) at a specialty restaurant, a value of about $70 each and a free bag of laundry, value about $40 apiece.

On Celebrity and Royal Caribbean, you get the laundry bag on Celebrity and a reduced bag on Royal.

Also, both lines have free happy hours, Celebrity from 5-7 and Royal from 5-8:30 where you have free drinks and a good selection to choose from.  Since we don't do beverage packages, we save quite a lot on the cost of alcohol.  In fact, on Royal, we have never had to purchase alcohol.

I don't understand how the NCL offering is worse than the others. I think we may have had this conversation before but the free happy hours are negated in my case because we do take the drinks package, as UK cruisers the savings we make on the meals and the laundry easily cover the cost of the drinks package to us, and to be honest I would hate to be limited as to which times I could have a drink. I will not say that the NCL benefits are any better than those on other lines but from what you have said they are no worse than any other line.

4 hours ago, 4774Papa said:

Got that right.  Paying for Priority is a waste.  We are Platinum and the NCL benefits are about the worst of all the cruise lines.

Really? How so? What are the benefits that other cruise lines offer that make the NCL offerings seem so poor. I'm genuinely interested having not sailed with any of the other major lines.

UK based 'skins fan here (since 1981) and I agree the 'skins suck this year, again. So you're not missing anything exciting.

I don't think the variety and choice of sport shown on any NCL ship is that great. I can't remember seeing any baseball (I'm a huge Yankees fan too) and the chances of seeing my favourite football (soccer) team is nil as they are not one of the elite European teams.

In the end I just remind myself that I'm on a cruise and that I can still see games etc. when I'm not cruising, I suppose it helps when my other teams play more than 16 games in a season.

1 hour ago, ronbe65 said:

Phaedrus78,

This is an important question for those who are planning a cruise. 

You have mentioned a couple of things that are critical for the ships ratings.

Yes, "for the most part the ships of similar classes are more alike than different", but those parts that are different may play a key role in the ship rating (quality of the cruising experience overall).

Think of two almost identical homes with the only difference: there is no kitchen in one of them, so you you'll be cooking in the living room or so...

A good ship will give you possibilities to cruise in your own style. You want to mix with a fun crowd - yes. You want to relax in a quiet lounge - yes. You want a bung-bung poolside activities - yes. You want a quiet sun deck away from the "fun time" craziness - yes. Etc., etc... 

"The negative reviews worried a bit, but we had a great time" is another popular mantra. It's true because cruising a pleasure, and all cruise ships sail full (the best ones and the worst ones). "A cruise is what you make of it" - another banality that is used to death.

However, it's obvious that one can have a better cruise on a better ship. So why not choose a better ship for your well deserved vacation?

The Breakaway/Getaway  have been the best ships ever built for NCL ("epic" lessons learnt!) until the recent Getaway refit. The cruise line decided that having a nice relaxing sun deck for free is too good for NCL passengers. The deck is now closed off (it's an extension to the Vibe). The Getaway is now "a home with no kitchen" - an example of how greedy cruise lines reduce the level of quality they once achieved (in favor of extra revenue).

So the Breakaway (until this ship is "improved" the same way) is the single best NCL ship at the moment.

I am reluctant to give the Escape the second position (there is nothing to justify the addition of hundreds pax to the Breakaway "platform"), but I have to - considering the current availability.

These are the two ships I can recommend. For me, to recommend  means to be responsible for what I recommend.

Another pair of NCL ships that I would suggest to consider as possible options are the Getaway and the Bliss. These options are possible with a careful review of the negative facts about these ships.

This is where I stop with my NCL mega ships recommendations.

What to avoid?

I would suggest to stay far from the Epic. All the problems of this Mistake of the Seas are well known. However, under certain conditions I would consider this ship for a Mediterranean cruise (spa & specialty restaurants).

I believe the new Encore is a product of an ill-minded design. I just wonder how this may happen at all. Just a view of the upper decks is nauseating (IMO). For sure I will not set my foot on this ship.

Happy cruising!

 

Well that's a long post but I have to say I disagree with most of it.

Ships do not always sail full, there are rare moments when they are not, take the inaugural transatlantic of the Bliss, the ship was definitely not full.

I haven't been on the Breakaway or Getaway but I have been on the Bliss and the Escape and based on what I know of those ships plus what I have picked up from other passengers I find it hard to believe that Breakaway and Getaway have been the best ships ever built for NCL.

I loved the Epic.

I don't know anything about the Encore except that you haven't given it a chance.

The best NCL cruise I've had to date was on a newly refurbished Jade and as such that is my favourite at the moment, although the itinerary helped so much, after that it would have to be the Bliss.

45 minutes ago, Son of a son of a ... said:

... to go to guest services to reduce the DSC because he had to wait too long to get a drink.

 

Did I miss anything?  😉

Did he leave a tip?

Just a question about the breakfast. Isn't Continental breakfast delivered free anyway?

3 hours ago, luckyinpa said:

 

what a condescending and rude answer but i guess with todays American what can we expect. what makes you think i'm going with buddies? bad assumption on your part.how insulting you are. 

 

and if you know of a way for one person to pay another with a credit card that would actually be useful information on topic with this thread instead of being a smart aleck. 

Really is an over the top reaction to a Kiwi who was just making a suggestion. As for your second paragraph, dependant on your bank you could ask about a money transfer. My bank allows me to move funds from my credit card to any other account I have with them, then I make the payment from that account. Pay on one card and the other parties re-imburse the one who paid. This may not be possible, but it's just a suggestion from a Smart Alec Brit

50 minutes ago, Son of a son of a ... said:

You will be seated in a section and served by a waiter and assistant waiter.  The party size will determine how many tables are each section.  The tables within a section can be interspersed with other sections within a degree of proximity so you think you are receiving individual service.  The service in the section is then paced for apps, entrees, and dessert.  If you are seated first in the section, then initial service may seem slow relative to those seated last.  Typically, when the entrees begin to arrive, all tables are synchronized as to schedule and service.   The system begins to fall apart when there are late arrivals in the party or a party lingers - that is when you need a good manager to make changes on the fly.

I think @thatjoeguy answered it better.

46 minutes ago, 4774Papa said:

Celebrity and Royal Caribbean have a free happy hour every night (except the first night on Celebrity).  It beats the Platinum benefits big time.

 

On our two Royal C. cruises, we did not purchase a single alcoholic drink.  The happy hour runs from 5-8:30 and you can order a glass of wine with dinner (as long as you order prior to 8:30).

I have the UBP or whatever it's called now, so how would a happy hour be any sort of benefit, and if you think that it outweighs a free bag of laundry each then you are bonkers.